GIFT  OF 


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w 


Peace  Hath  Her  Victories  as  Well  as  War 


My  Good  Sister  and  Her  Mount 

333603 


THE 


IS  KING 


Foreword 

N  WRITING  this  little  book,  it  is  not  with  inten- 
tion to  dictate,  it  is  to  educate ;  it  is  not  to  destroy, 
it  is  to  protect.  Neither  is  it  any  part  of  my  pur- 
pose to  criticize  the  opinion  of  others.  What  I 
have  to  offer  is  drawn  from  the  store-house  of 
experience,  and  from  that  I  will  try  and 
explain  to  the  best  of  my  belief  and  knowledge  things  as  I 
know  them,  and,  you  can  think  and  say  of  this  little  book 
what  you  will.  You  may  not  accept  all  of  what  I  say,  but 
it  will  pay  you  to  let  some  of  it  stick  in  your  mind  and  often 
you  will  find  yourself  acting  upon  its  advice.  In  its  pages 
you  will  find  statements  of  truth  and  scientific  facts.  And 
when  you  realize  the  benefit  that  its  teaching  has  been  to 
you,  you  will  feel  that  you  have  not  fully  paid  for  it,  so  you 
can  do  this  for  me  in  order  to  pay  for  it  in  full :  Bring  it 
to  the  attention  of  some  one  else,  who  will  probably  be  glad 
to  know  of  it  and  may  need  it.  It  is  my  desire  that  all  who 
can  read  the  American  language  will  take  advantage  of  its 
offering.  I  also  hope  I  have  done  no  injustice  to  either  my- 
self or  to  those  to  whom  it  is  presented.  It  is  at  least  writ- 
ten in  a  friendly  spirit  and  with  good  intention,  and  there  is 
no  danger  that  you  cannot  understand  every  word  of  it,  as 
I  only  know  the  language  in  the  plainest  way.  It  is  written 
with  the  object  to  prevent  lame  horses,  divorces  and  wars. 
In  it  is  explained  the  cause  of  the  European  War,  and  how 
some  speedy  horses  may  be  shod  to  go  faster. 

LOUIS  PETERSEN. 


HT^HIS  work  has  been  written 
in  hope  of  meeting  a  long- 
felt  want.  My  life  is  such  that 
I  wish  for  no  praise;  I  only  hope 
and  believe  I  have  done  my  duty. 

Louis  PKTKRSEN. 
Scientific  Horseshoer 
Santa  Ana,  Cal.,  1915. 


Statement  of  Truth  and  Scientific  Facts 

NCE  upon  a  time  I  was  asked,  What  do  you 
think  of  life,  anyway  ?  Life,  I  said,  is  an  art, 
while  married  life  in  some  sense  of  the  word  is 
like  horse-shoeing,  it  is  a  science.  It  differs  only 
that  each  is  in  a  class  by  itself.  In  married  life 
it  is  a  science  to  keep  love  in  circulation.  In 
horse-shoeing,  it  is  a  science  to  keep  the  blood  of  a  short 
hoof  in  circulation.  Of  course  it  is  not  science  to  kick  a 
man  when  he  is  down,  that  is  pure  hate,  rather  is  it  science 
to  put  on  a  calk  shoe  on  a  horse's  contracted  foot,  that  is 
cruel.  But  when  we  know  how  and  have  a  cliance  to  rise 
after  we  are  down,  and,  when  we  know  also  and  have  the 
opportunity  how  to  restore  normal  conditions  to  a  diseased 
foot.  I  think  we  know  then  a  good  deal  about  the  cause  of 
either  of  it.  And  when  we  know  the  cause  of  a  trouble 
there  is  then  no  uncertainty  of  a  remedy.  It  may  be  asked 
what  is  the  cause  of  preventing  the  blood  from  free  circula- 
tion in  a  horse's  foot?  One  cause  is  contraction,  and  con- 
traction is  the  mother  of  most  foot  evils,  such  as  corns, 
quarter  cracks,  side  bones,  coffin  joint,  lameness,  crowding 
the  frog  and  destroying  its  functions,  stumbling,  over 
reaching,  scalping,  cross  firing,  etc.,  and  so  on. 

And  contraction  can  be  caused  by  improper  paring  or 
trimming  of  the  feet  or  an  uneven  bearing  on  the  foot  caus- 
ed by  an  ill-fitted  shoe,  this  causes  fever  to  the  foot  which 
interferes  with  the  free  circulation  of  the  blood.  It  causes 
the  horny  wall  to  shrink  and  gives  a  feeling  to  a  horse  like 
a  tight  boot  that  pinches  our  own  feet.  In  speaking  of  con- 
traction and  improper  trimming :  Contraction  can  be 
brought  on  by  leaving  the  heels  too  high.  A  horse  when  in 
motion  lands  at  the  heels  on  his  front  feet  first,  and,  any  ex- 
tra hoof  beyond  the  laminated  structures  cannot  carry  the 
same  weight  as  the  normal  foot,  without  injuring  the  foot. 


Furthermore;  trie  center  of  the  foot  has  its  fixed  place, 
that  is,  the  center  of  the  foot  is  in  the  same  place  all  of  the 
time.  But  the  heels,  like  the  toes,  grow  at  a  forward  angle. 
The  toe,  however,  grows  away  from  the  center,  while  the 
heels  grow  nearer  to  the  center.  In  this  unbalanced  condi- 
tion the  heels  are  forced  to  carry  extra  weight  while  they 
are  in  a  weaker  condition. 

Let  us  reason  together  and  see  in  what  way  the  heels 
become  weaker  as  we  let  them  grow  higher.  Suppose  we 
take  a  stick  of  whale  bone  three  feet  long,  place  it  in  an  up- 
right position,  then  put  a  weight  on  top  of  it  and  see  how 
much  it  bends ;  then  take  a  stick  of  the  same  strength  four 
feet  long,  put  the  same  amount  of  weight  on  it,  we  will  find 
that  it  bends  or  warps  much  more.  And  the  same  rule  ap- 
plies to  horses'  high  heels. 

You  know  it  is  a  general  belief  that  high  heels  take  the 
strain  off  the  back  tendons,  but  that  is  only  a  theory  and 
not  so  in  fact,  for  as  soon  as  the  horse  is  in  motion  his  feet 
are  at  a  forward  angle,  when  extended  and  landing  on  the 
ground  with  the  high  heels  it  would  cause  the  foot  to  rock 
back,  because  they  have  grown  too  -close  to  the  center  of  the 
foot.  Now,  this  back  tendon  which  you  intend  to  relieve 
with  high  heels,  is  inserted  on  the  bottom  of  the  foot  or  cof- 
fin bone.  This  foot  bone  is  in  the  same  position  as  the  foot 
is  when  the  limb  is  extended.  When  the  foot  lands  on  the 
ground  the  toe  is  slightly  elevated,  because  the  high  heels 
reach  the  ground  before  the  foot  is  in  position  for  other 
parts  of  the  foot  can  help  to  carry  weight,  so  the  cause  of 
the  strain  of  the  back  tendon  is  because  the  high  heels  grew 
too  near  the  center  of  the  foot.  A  horse  on  a  trot  carries 
two-thirds  of  his  weight  on  one  front  foot  at  a  time,  so 
when  the  limb  is  fully  extended  the  weight  of  the  horse 
would  force  the  foot  to  rock  back.  It  may  be  said  if  the 
high  heels  are  too  close  to  the  center  to  cause  the  foot  to 
rock  back,  why  not  extend  the  branches  of  the  shoe  to 
where  the  foot  ought  to  be  with  normal  heels?  Ha,  that 

6 


would  be  some  scheme,  but  those  extended  branches  would 
be  like  a  lever  prying  on  the  points  of  the  heels  at  each  time 
the  feet  land  when  in  motion.  And  the  heels  of  the  foot 
would  soon  crumble  away  and  aside  from  breaking  down 
the  horse  would  be  very  apt  to  catch  his  shoes  with  his  hind 
feet,  because  his  stride  in  front  is  short  where  the  heels  are 
high. 

And  it  is  the  same  tendon  that  flexes  the  foot  when 
leaving  the  ground  so  the  high  heels  are  causing  the  flexer 
tendon  to  perform  a  double  duty,  carrying  weight  when 
landing  and  flexing  the  foot  when  starting.  The  high  heais 
also  cause  a  strain  on  the  extensor  tendon,  even  while  the 
horse  is  at  rest  if  he  stands  in  a  natural  position  as  the  ex- 
tensor tendon  is  inserted  at  the  apex  of  the  same  foot  bone. 
The  flexer  and  the  extensor  tendons  are  the  two  main  ten- 
dons that  control  the  swing  of  the  foot  in  a  forward  and 
backward  direction,  therefore  it  is  necessary  to  pare  a  foot 
to  an  angle  so  that  the  tension  of  these  two  tendons  is  equal- 
ly divided,  that  is  one  point  in  balancing  the  action  of  a 
horse.  Some  horse  trainers  and  caretakers,  too,  are  gen- 
erally very  particular  about  a  fraction  of  an  ounce  of  weight 
in  a  shoe,  which  really  has  nothing  to  do  with  balancing  a 
horse's  gait.  This  shoeing  horses  twice  in  a  day  in  order  to 
balance  their  gaits  never  appealed  to  me  as  sound  judgment 
and  anyway  some  horses  are  like  some  men,  they  haven't 
got  a  real  balanced  head.  In  such  cases  all  the  experiment- 
ing with  shoes  amounts  to  nothing.  There  are  other 
things  more  important  and  more  valuable  to  under- 
stand and  to  look  after.  The  main  part  as  to  shoe- 
ing in  balancing  the  swing  of  horses'  feet  is  to 
know  first  a  healthy  foot  from  a  diseased  one,  a  strong 
foot  from  a  weak  one,  conformation  and  formation  of  limb 
and  feet,  etc.  If  all  is  well,  then  see  to  it  that  the  foot  is 
pared  to  the  right  angle  to  suit  the  joints,  tendons,  and  liga- 
ments above.  The  weight  of  a  shoe  should  be  judged  by 
the  strength  and  action  of  the  foot ;  that  is  to  say,  if  a  foot 


is  strong  and  without  defects,  a  light  shoe  is  the  best  to 
adopt.  If  the  foot  is  of  the  delicate  order,  then  a  couple  of 
more  ounces  of  weight  in  the  web  of  the  shoe  will  be  found 
beneficial.  So  a  half  an  ounce  or  even  an  ounce,  one  way 
or  the  other  in  an  otherwise  well-balanced  horse  has  noth- 
ing to  do  with  his  speed  or  his  balance. 

Well,  I  have  drifted  away  from  the  subject  of  high 
heels.  As  said  before,  high  heels  cause  a  strain  on  the  ex- 
tensor or  front  tendon,  and  for  a  horse  to  avoid  straining 
this  tendon  he  will  place  his  feet  out  of  a  perpendicular  line 
backward  and  in  that  way  relieving  the  strain  of  the  front 
tendon.  But  the  trouble  of  such  position  is,  he  adds  extra 
weight  to  his  front  extremities,  because  he  has  to  relieve  his 
hind  limbs  from  carrying  their  natural  amount  of  weight 
in  order  to  balance  himself  or  to  keep  himself  from  falling 
backwards,  so  when  you  see  a  horse  standing  with  his  front 
feet  too  far  under  himself  it  indicates  that  he  is  too  high  at 
the  heels.  The  horse  in  traveling  tries  to  avoid  jarring  of 
the  heels,  which  makes  his  stride  short  and  choppy  and  in 
that  way  the  front  feet  cannot  keep  time  with  the  hind  ones. 
High  heels  can  be  the  cause  of  a  trotting  horse  being  mix- 
gaited  and  in  this  way  of  going  his  stride  in  front  is  irregu- 
lar because  he  tries  to  keep  time  with  his  hind  feet,  then 
again  he  feels  the  sting  of  the  heels  when  landing  which  he 
tries  to  avoid. 

In  such  cases  the  joints  in  or  above  the  foot  would  be 
pounded  to  pieces  because  the  weight  of  the  horse  would 
fall  direct  on  the  bones  of  the  joints.  It  is  generally  known 
and  agreed,  the  horse  with  straight  hock  joints  is  subject  to 
bone  spavin,  because  there  is  no  spring  to  such  joints  as 
there  is  to  the  joints  that  are  more  slanting  or  oblique.  This 
same  rule  applies  to  horses'  front  limbs,  below  the  knee, 
when  he  has  to  travel  with  high  heels,  and  that  can  be  the 
cause  of  ring  bone. 

It  is  always  best  to  pare  the  heels  like  the  rest  of  the 
foot,  to  where  they  belong.  Well,  you  know  now,  in  part, 


what  a  damage  it  can  be  to  a  horse  by  leaving  the  heels  too 
high  and  once  in  a  while  we  find  feet  with  low  heels  where 
the  bars  are  broken  down  and  the  walls  of  the  heels  are 
warped  and  bent  over,  and  often  it  makes  a  horse  go  tender 
and  as  the  heels  look  low,  a  blacksmith  will  take  a  shoe  and 
turn  up  heel  calks  to  make  up  for  the  low  appearance  of  the 
heel.  This  is  like  adding  fuel  to  fire.  It  is  not  building  up, 
it  is  destroying;  and  after  heel  calks  are  turned  on  to  shoes 
and  applied  to  feet  in  such  conditions,  it  is  a  sure  case  of 
lameness.  It  doesn't  make  any  difference  how  low  such 
heels  are,  to  prepare  them  for  a  shoe  properly  is  to  remove 
all  the  parts  that  are  warped  and  broken  down.  Then  build 
it  up  again  with  strips  of  leather,  between  foot  and  shoe, 
secure  the  leather  with  rivets  to  the  branches  of  the  heels 
and  adjust  the  shoe  in  such  a  way  that  the  heels  of  the  foot 
can  carry  its  share  of  the  horse's  weight.  Or,  if  the  frog 
is  in  proper  condition,  use  a  bar  shoe  and  thereby  give  the 
heels  a  rest.  I  know  you  say  all  this  takes  a  lot  of  time, 
but  that  is  just  where  we  blunder  so  often.  We  never  even 
take  time  to  think.  We  must  take  time  to  do  things  right. 
It  may  look  that  we  could  spring  the  shoes  away  from  such 
heels,  but  that  also  is  a  bad  practice,  because  the  heels  of  the 
foot  would  settle  down  to  the  shoe  and  thereby  break  down 
the  quarters.  That  would  be  like  going  from  bad  to  worse, 
a  little  extra  time  in  taking  pains  is  worth  more  than  the 
whole  job  of  shoeing.  Shoeing  is  not  worth  anything  if  it 
isn't  done  right.  The  deformity  of  such  broken  heels  are 
often  caused  by  the  use  of  the  ordinary  three-calk  shoe  and 
is  generally  found  among  the  heavier  horses.  Such  shoes 
produce  extra  stress  or  pressure  on  the  weakest  part  of  the 
fo.ot.  Then  we  come  across  another  kind  of  deformed  heel 
that  may  cause  trouble  to  a  horse's  foot.  The  heels  that 
have  caved  in,  between  the  coronary  band  and  the  lower 
border  of  the  walls.  The  bars  or  braces  are  generally  firm 
and  strong  and  thereby  the  lower  border  of  the  wall  of  the 
heels  are  kept  in  place,  but  fever  at  that  part  of  the  foot 


which  interferes  with  the  free  circulation  of  the  blood  has 
caused  the  horny  wall  at  the  heels  to  collapse.  The  horse 
may  not  go  lame,  but  it  should  be  attended  to  at  once.  Re- 
duce or  lower  the  heels  and  weaken  the  wall  on  the  outside 
with  a  rasp  from  the  coronary  band  down.  Use  a  bar  shoe 
with  leather  pads,  pack  the  feet  with  tar  and  oakum.  It  is 
also  good  to  paint  the  coronary  band  at  the  heels  with  iodine 
or  some  kind  of  a  blister.  The  cause  of  the  deformity  of 
such  heels  might  have  been  caused  by  leaving  the  heels  too 
high,  or  the  three-calk  shoe  may  bring  about  such  abnormal 
conditions.  Calks  on  front  shoes  are  not  good,  neither  are 
they  necessary.  If,  however,  you  are  compelled  to  use 
calks,  then  use  the  good  enough  shoe,  that  is  the  best  calk 
shoe  to  date,  because  the  center  of  the  foot  gets  its  share  of 
carrying  weight  and  thereby  takes  the  strain  from  the  weak- 
er parts  of  the  foot.  In  order  to  keep  horses'  feet  in  health 
and  strength,  as  far  as  shoeing  goes  is  uniformity  of  pres- 
sure. Shoes  that  produce  bearing  equally  divided  all  over 
the  bottom  of  the  foot  and  that  should  be  the  shoes  for  the 
future  use.  For  winter  shoeing,  to  prevent  slipping,  1 
would  recommend  the  Never  Slip  Shoe,  with  the  use  of  an 
extra  calk  between  heel  and  toe  in  shoes  number  three  and 
larger,  in  the  center  of  the  shoe,  and  I  don't  know  of  a  bet- 
ter wearing  calk  and  shoe  than  the  Red  Tip  Never  Slip. 
Now,  do  not  misunderstand  me,  as  it  may  sound  like  adver- 
tising, and  that  it  is  a  money  scheme.  Neither  of  those 
shoe  manufacturies  know  that  I  am  writing  this ;  they  will 
not  know  unless  they  buy  a  book.  I  am  saying  this  because 
their  shoes  deserve  it,  as  they  are  an  improvement  over 
other  calk  shoes,  and,  why  not  give  as  well  as  take?  I 
will  try  and  proceed  in  explaining  to  pare  feet  to  where  they 
should  be.  A  foot  should  be  considered  a  triangle  and  in 
normal  condition  the  distance  from  the  center  of  the  foot 
to  the  points  of  the  heels  should  be  the  same  as  to  the  point 
of  the  front  of  the  toe.  It  may  be  asked,  Where  do  we  find 
the  center  of  the  foot?  The  center  of  the  foot  may  be 

10 


found  in  the  following  way:  Suppose  the  foot  is  consid- 
ered ready  for  the  shoe,  then  take  a  rather  fine  cord,  start 
at  the  cleft  of  the  frog,  with  one  end  of  the  string,  measure 
around  the  lower  border  of  the  foot  to  the  starting  point, 
then  double  the  string  in  the  middle.  Start  again  at  the 
cleft,  around  to  where  the  string  reaches  the  toe  and  make 
a  mark  at  that  point.  Then  measure  the  upper  half  of  the 
foot,  start  from  the  same  cleft,  in  the  same  way  as  you 
found  the  center  of  the  toe,  then  from  the  upper  mark  to 
the  lower  mark  draw  a  line  from  mark  to  mark  in  front  of 
the  hoof.  Then  draw  a  line  through  the  center  of  the  foot 
along  the  center  of  the  frog  to  the  mark  of  the  point  of  the 
toe,  then  take  the  string,  again  start  at  the  cleft  along  the 
lower  border  of  the  hoof  to  the  center  of  the  toe.  Now  dou- 
ble your  string,  start  at  the  cleft,  make  a  mark  where  the 
end  of  the  double  string  reaches  at  the  side  of  the  foot,  then 
find  the  middle  of  the  other  half  in  the  same  way.  Then 
draw  a  line  across  the  bottom  of  the  foot, — and  where  those 
lines  cross,  that  is  the  center  of  the  foot.  Where  conditions 
are  normal,  with  the  foot  properly  leveled  and  shoes  to  suit, 
the  swing  of  the  foot  when  in  motion  should  be  like  the 
swing  of  the  pendulum  of  a  clock.  With  a  normal  foot  the 
sole  next  to  the  wall  helps  to  carry  weight.  This  part  of 
the  sole  should  not  be  removed  as  it  adds  in  supporting  the 
wall ;  but  when  the  foot  is  neglected,  shoes  are  left  on  too 
long,  the  horny  wall,  like  the  soles,  keeps  growing,  and  the 
shoe  on  the  foot  goes  with  the  growing  wall  forward.  But 
the  sole  sheds  or  peels  off  in  flakes  leaving  the  over-growing 
wall  to  carry  the  weight  alone  and  must  bear  the  brunt  of 
danger. 

•  Speaking  of  danger,  when  buying  a  horse,  one  should 
look  at  the  feet  first.  A  horse  when  at  rest  should  stand 
perpendicular.  If  he  is  restless,  pointing  his  feet  forward, 
or  stands  with  both  front  feet  in  that  position,  it  indicates 
he  is  out  of  balance,  and  he  may  be  unsound,  although  not 
lame,  but  chances  are  he  will  be.  The  best  and  safest  foot 

11 


on  a  horse  is  the  round,  flatish  foot.  As  a  rule,  in  such  a 
foot,  the  frog  is  large  and  spongy.  Where  there  is  a  well- 
developed  frog,  the  horny  wall  is  also  softer  and  that  horse 
maintains  his  balance  better.  Then  the  horse  with  the  high 
cup  foot,  in  the  last-named  foot  the  frog  is  generally  small, 
hard  and  feeble,  as  the  frog  is  the  heart  of  the  foot,  in  shape 
and  in  reality  a  foot  without  a  frog  is  like  a  home  without 
a  mother,  or  a  church  without  the  Holy  Spirit,  so  the  forms 
of  horses'  feet  are  like  men's  character,  they  can  give  the 
ease  or  the  disease. 

As  I  said  at  the  beginning,  married  life  is  like  horse- 
shoeing. It  is  a  science.  And  sometimes  I  think  some  men 
are  like  some  horses'  feet,  that  is,  they  are  not  so  awful  bad, 
but  they  are  simply  not  very  good.  A  person's  thoughts 
and  actions  change  for  good  or  for  bad  like  horses'  feet  in 
form  and  size,  with  age,  circumstances  and  surroundings. 
Horses'  feet  are,  or  will  be,  just  as  we  treat  them.  It  may 
now  be  asked,  how  should  horses'  feet  be  treated,  in  the  per- 
formance for  shoeing?  To  begin  with,  in  removing  old 
shoes,  the  clinchers  should  be  cut ;  then  if  the  nail  heads  pro- 
ject, it  is  best  to  pull  each  nail  out  by  itself  or  a  shoe  pull  off 
J3e  used  and  remove  the  shoe  with  care. 

After  that,  a  knife  may  be  used  to  remove  the  loose 
parts  of  the  sole,  other  parts  of  the  sole  like  the  bars  and 
frog,  should  not  be  cut.  Then  a  hoof  parer  is  applied  and 
the  wall  reduced  to  the  white  line  or  on  a  level  with  the  sole, 
the  foot  is  then  leveled  off  with  a  rasp  to  secure  a  bearing 
service  for  the  shoe  to  rest  on.  A  shoe  is  then  selected  and 
fitted  and  should  only  be  warm  enough  in  fitting  to  allow 
changing  of  the  shoes,  if  necessary.  Burning  of  the  foot  is 
not  necessary,  neither  is  it  good.  No  clips  or  calks  should 
be  used  on  front  shoes.  Clips  may  be  necessary,  and  no 
harm  will  result  from  them,  if  fitted  right,  but  generally 
where  clips  are  not  necessary  it  is  best  to  not  use  them.  It 
is  a  good  practice  to  wet  the  shoe  before  nailing-  it.  When 
placed  on  the  foot  it  will  show  the  unevenness  of  bearing,  if 

12 


any.  In  nailing  a  shoe,  start  the  heel,  nails  first.  It  is 
more  apt  to  leave  the  shoe  where  you  intended  it  to  be.  It 
often  saves  this  pounding  with  the  hammer  on  the  outside  of 
the  wall,  that  is  another  practice  that's  neither  good  or  nec- 
essary. The  simple  job  of  clinching  is  often  done  in  a 
thoughtless  way,  first  the  clinch  gets  a  tap  with  the  hammer 
to  turn  it  a  little,  and  when  it  is  in  good  position  to  lay,  then 
with  two  or  three  hard  blows,  the  floorman  will  drive  it  into 
the  hoof.  Directly  under  the  clinch  is  the  nail  itself,  under- 
neath the  nail  is  the  sensitive  lamina,  and,  in  most  cases, 
dangerously  close  to  the  sensitive  part,  two  or  three  hard 
blows  is  liable  to  force  the  nail  blade  between  the  exterior 
wall  to  the  sensitive  structure. 

Ignorance  or  thoughtlessness  in  clinching  can  be  the 
cause  of  separating  the  lining  between  the  sensitive  and  in- 
sensitive parts  of  the  hoof.  Let  me  repeat,  this  pounding 
on  the  outer  wall  is  neither  good  nor  necessary.  In  finish- 
ing, file  no  other  part  of  the  wall,  only  the  clinches. 

The  shoe  should  fit  the  foot  flush,  with  the  toe  like  the 
branches  of  the  heels  beveled.  Shoeing  done  as  described 
above  is  not  against  the  good  of  the  foot.  It  is  said,  and  of- 
ten repeated  that  horseshoeing  is  a  necessary  evil,  but  I 
know  it  is  not.  It  is  a  science,  and,  anyway,  there  are  no 
such  things  as  necessary  evils.  It  is  not  the  question,  shoes 
or  no  shoes ;  but,  rather,  the  kind  of  shoes  and  the  manner 
of  its  application  to  the  foot.  Nature  has  provided  the 
horse  with  the  hoof  with  intention  for  protection. 

But  we  are  somewhat  slow  in  learning  how  to  properly 
protect  them  and,  therefore,  it  is  still  the  belief  among  some 
people  that  horseshoers  are  doing  an  evil  business,  and  it  is 
because  horseshoeing  is  not  improving  like  other  arts  and 
science.  It  is  a  good  deal  like  this,  some  horseshoers  crip- 
ple horses  by  the  use  of  clips,  others  can  use  clips  to  benefit 
the  feet  and  make  them  go  sound  thereby,  and  so  it  is  with 
the  whole  horseshoeing  operation.  If  it  is  done  right  it  is 
not  a  necessary  evil,  it  is  similar  to  that,  as  a  man  thinks  in 

13 


his  own  heart,  so  is  he.  Therefore,  our  mind  should  be  like 
a  shield  and  weapon  to  use  against  any  wrong  thoughts  and 
action.  Our  dispositions  are  irregular  and  if  we  don't  con- 
trol them  in  a  way  that  is  best  for  all  concerned,  we  should 
be  reminded  of  our  mistakes  by  those  interested  and  by 
those  who  understand  us.  In  most  all  cases  it  is  better  to 
be  kind  and  coax,  rather  than  to  use  force,  and  men  should 
be  that  way  to  horses. 

It  may  be  asked,  in  what  way  is  it  a  science  to  contain 
love  in  married  life?  Take,  for  instance,  a  newly  married 
couple,  and  here  is  to  you,  young  ladies :  Supposing  your 
husband  enjoys  a  smoke  after  a  meal,  and,  supposing  you 
don't  like  to  have  him  smoke  in  the  house,  now  is  your  time 
to  think  and  study.  Instead  of  teling  him  that  if  he  wants 
to  smoke  he  has  got  to  go  out  in  the  wood-shed  or  some 
near-by  place,  that  you  will  not  stand  for  any  smoking  in 
the  house,  here  is  where  you  make  a  mistake,  and  then,  in 
the  way  you  say  it,  that  has  something  to  do  with  it.  You 
knew  his  habits  before  you  married  him.  If  he  did  not 
want  to  give  up  the  enjoyment  of  a  pipe  or  some  other  kind 
of  a  smoke  to  please  you  before  marriage,  and  that  you 
think  that  you  can  convert  him  after  marriage  into  ways  of 
your  own  desire,  you  had  better  break  your  engagement,  for 
it  will  just  cancel  one  more  mistake. 

Now,  let  me  advise  you,  if  you  want  a  per- 
fect man,  to  make  a  long  story  short,  don't  mar- 
ry. But  if  you  marry  you  must  understand  all  men  are 
temporarily  weak  at  one  time  in  life  or  another,  and  so  are 
you.  And  so,  if  you  don't  want  a  husband  that  smokes, 
don't  marry  one. 

Now,  to  men  I  will  say  this :  Almost  any  kind  of  a 
woman  is  good  enough  for  the  average  man  because  women 
who  are  willing  to  brave  themselves  to  replace  the  dying 
race  are  heroines  and  are  the  world's  only  future  hope. 
Men  should  listen  and  consider  a  girl  or  woman's  reasonable 
plea  that  she  makes  with  good  intentions. 

14 


Now,  to  you,  young  lady,  if  you  are  married  and  can- 
not get  your  husband  to  stop  smoking  in  the  ways  that  you 
have  been  trying  it,  then  let  him  hug  the  pipe,  for  you,  too, 
must  count  on  anxiety  after  marriage,  which  is  sure  to 
come.  It  may  be  for  money,  or  it  may  be  for  the  health  of 
your  husband,  or  something  else ;  and,  while  you  are  worry- 
ing about  one  thing  or  another,  your  mind  is  like  a  horse 
with  inflamed  feet,  restless,  and  is  not  altogether  agreeable, 
and  now  I  am  going  to  try  and  advise  you  how  you  may  get 
this  man  of  yours  to  stop  smoking.  A  good  way  is  to  assist 
your  husband  at  the  time  he  enjoys  a  smoke;  get  him  his 
favorite  cigar  and  a  match,  sit  down  by  his  side  and  in  an 
affectionate  way  explain  to  him  that  you  wish  he  would  not 
smoke,  in  that  way  your  chances  are  good  to  win.  Of 
course,  you  may  be  too  serious-minded,  too  self-centered, 
and  don't  like  the  idea  of  pleading,  but,  you  see,  in  life  we 
often  have  to  do  things  that  we  dislike.  Life  is  like  walk- 
ing up  hill,  but  married  life  at  times  is  like  mountain  climb- 
ing. The  roadway  that  leads  to  success  for  the  joys  of 
future  life  is  overgrowing  with  bushes  and  brambles  and  we 
must  expect  to  get  a  few  scratches  before  we  can  reach  good 
and  smooth  footing,  but  keep  on  trying  and  make  the  best  of 
it.  The  results  will  be  that  you  needn't  care,  because  it 
keeps  love  in  circulation  and  love  brings  happiness.  What 
happy  people  we  ought  to  be,  to  live  in  sunny  homes  and 
where  we  are  permitted  to  rest  under  the  blue  skies  among 
bright  flowers  and  sweet  smelling  roses,  songs  of  the  mock- 
ing bird  can  be  heard  in  the  stillness  of  the  night.  Of 
course,  the  sun  cannot  be  shining  all  of  the  time  and  birds 
cannot  be  singing  always,  even  the  blossoms  cannot  bloom 
without  rest;  but  there  is  hope  and  there  is  light,  the  future 
is  bright  for  those  that  are  trying  to  do  the  best.  Discharge 
hate  and  selfishness,  that  will  smooth  the  road  to  success  and 
happiness ;  and,  now,  young  lady,  when  your  better  half 
realizes  your  kind  interest  in  him,  he  will  yield  and  your 
wish  will  be  granted  because  he  has  more  sentiment  than 

15 


you  have,  and  from  your  courage  comes  his  courage. 
Women  have  more  grit  than  men,  therefore  a  woman 
should  never  discourage  a  man,  but  should  display  her 
pleasure  at  his  excellence  at  trying  to  succeed.  It  adds  to 
keep  love  in  circulation.  You  see  love  is  a  delicate  thing, 
but  it  is  valuable,  it  holds  life  together.  Life  without  love 
is  only  like  being  in  existence,  so  it  pays  to  study  your  hus- 
band's mental  wants  and  needs,  you  can  make  your  own 
way  of  supplying  them  actually  indispensable  to  him  and 
while  you  are  helping  him  you  are  helping  yourself  also.  It 
is  the  making  of  a  foundation  for  future  happiness.  You 
can  control  and  guide  a  man's  bad  habits  if  you  study  his 
disposition  and  that  your  own  thoughts  are  for  good.  Like 
a  scientific  horseshoer's  controlling  the  form  and  health  of  a 
horse's  foot,  if  it  hasn't  been  through  neglect  forgotten. 

A  growing  foot  is  like  a  bad  habit,  they  are  growing 
evils.  As  to  the  horse's  foot,  the  foot  is  provided  by  nature 
to  take  care  of  itself,  if  it  is  kept  at  normal  size  and  level. 
The  foot  is  supplied  with  moisture  and  growing  material 
from  the  blood  that  circulates  through  it,  but  when  a  foot 
becomes  abnormal  this  over-growing  quantity  of  hoof  is  also 
nourished  from  the  same  food  or  blood,  where  there  is  real- 
ly only  enough  of  it  to  feed  or  take  care  of  the  normal  foot. 
And,  consequently,  the  whole  foot  suffers.  I  wish  this  to 
be  understood  just  as  it  is,  and  will  try  and  make  it  clear. 
Supposing  you  had  food  for  twelve  hogs  and  then  suppose 
you  add  four  more  to  them,  feeding  them  from  the  same 
food,  you  know  those  twelve  hogs  could  not  get  that  which 
was  intended  for  them  because  you  are  feeding  four  extra 
hogs  from  the  same  quantity  of  food.  You  see  where  there 
are  too  many  hogs  for  a  certain  amount  of  food  it  makes 
the  swill  rather  thin,  or,  in  other  words,  there  isn't  enough 
to  go  around,  and  none  of  them  can  do  well.  This  same 
rule  applies  to  horses'  feet,  when  an  over-quantity  of  hoof 
takes  place  the  normal  foot  suffers  in  strength  and  health. 
It  is  necessary,  therefore,  that  horses  should  be  shod  every 

16 


four  weeks  to  keep  the  foot  in  health  and  strength  and  to 
not  overtax  the  structures  above.     Any  extra  length  of  the 
horny  wall  weakens  the  horses'  capacity  for  work.     It  may 
be  asked,  how  can  this  extra  length  of  hoof  weaken  the 
horse's  natural  strength.     I  will  try  and  explain  this  as  I 
have  done  in  the  case  with  high  heels.     It  is  a  universally 
known  principal  of  mechanical  philosophy  that  we  can  either 
increase  or  diminish  the  lifting  capacity  of  a  lever  by  either 
lengthening  or  shortening  that  portion  of  it  between  the 
fulcrum  and  the  object  to  be  lifted.     Let  us  illustrate :     If  a 
lever  is  placed  upon  a  fulcrum  four  inches  from  the  lifting 
end,  and  is  capable  of  raising  1200  pounds,  and  then  remove 
it  to  five  inches  from  such  end  it  can  only  raise  900  pounds, 
with  an  equal  degree  of  strain.     This  same  rule  applies  to 
the  motion  and  management  of  horses'  feet.    If  a  normal 
foot  of  a  horse  is  four  inches  in  length,  measuring  from  the 
hair  to  the  point  of  the  toe,  then  if  it  has  grown  to  five 
inches  the  horse  has  then  lost  one-fifth  of  its  real  strength. 
By  the  extra  inch  that  has  grown  away  from  the  center  of 
the  foot,  because  at  each  forward  step  he  has  to  climb  over 
this  extra  inch  of  toe  and  this  causes  a  strain  on  the  back  or 
the  flexer  tendon  at  each  time  the  foot  is  flex  or  lifted  to 
move  forward;  in  other  words,  it  is  the  same  as  driving  a 
horse  up  hill.     You  can  now  understand  how  a  long  or  deep 
toe  weakens  a  horse's  capacity   for  work.     Dismiss   your 
idea  that  a  horse  pulling  loads  must  have  a  toe  calk  on  his 
front  shoes  to  do  so,  or  that  a  trotting  horse  must  have  a 
grab  on  the  outer  web  on  his  front  shoes  to  get  a  toe-hold. 
A  grab  causes  a  horse  to  tire  and  can  be  the  cause  of  losing 
the  race.     It  is  at  the  last  end  of  the  mile,  just  about  where 
the  money  is  paid,  when  he  commences  to  fall  back.     It    is 
similar  to  that  as  winding  up  a  clock,  the  last  turn  works  the 
hardest.     A  horse  with  only  equal  speed,  with  the  toes  of 
his   shoes   slightly   rolled   on   the   home   stretch  passes   the 
horse  that  wears  a  grab.     Put  those  calks  or  grabs  on  the 
hind  shoes,  that  is  where  they  do  more  good,  if  any.     In 

17 


speaking  of  long  toes,  and  that  it  weakens  a  horse's  capacity 
for  work,  horseshoers  know  it  is  nothing  uncommon  to  re- 
move an  inch  or  more  of  surplus  wall  from  horses'  feet  in 
preparing  them  for  shoes,  so  you  see  what  the  result  can  be 
when  horses'  feet  are  neglected,  the  whole  horse  is  abused. 
It  is  not  only  a  punishment  to  a  horse  to  labor  in  such  un- 
natural conditions,  but  we  are  shortening  his  existence  for 
usefulness,  because  it  causes  extra  wear  and  tear  on  the 
joints  and  tendons  that  set  the  feet  in  motion  and  control 
the  swing  of  them,  and  what  you  are  trying  to  save  in 
horseshoeing  you  are  losing  more  than  the  price  of  it  in 
horse  flesh,  where  he  is  performing  the  same  amount  of 
work.  Get  your  horses  shod  every  four  weeks,  so  he  can 
use  his  natural  strength  to  full  advantage.  The  horse  will 
last  longer,  as  there  will  be  no  unnatural  strain  on  any  part 
of  the  foot  or  parts  above  it.  You  see  the  foot  is  an  unfin-. 
ished  part  of  the  horse's  anatomy.  It  changes  and  grows 
irregularly,  the  shoers  should  understand  how  to  prepare  the 
foot  and  construct  shoes  so  that  the  motion  is  smooth  and 
without  friction.  Then  there  is  no  danger  to  the  foot  or  the 
part  above  it.  You  may  say,  this  kind  of  reading  would 
have  been  very  useful  thirty  or  forty  years  ago ;  I  know  you 
are  thinking  of  the  automobile ;  but  you  need  information 
of  this  kind  worse  now  than  it  was  needed  forty  years  ago. 
New  discovery  in  horseshoeing  is  what  you  want  and  need. 
People  used  to  argue  and  said  that  nature  always  did  her 
work  well  and  that  horses,  like  men  and  women,  were  born 
without  shoes.  This  is  very  true,  had  each  been  permitted 
to  remain  in  the  condition  and  surroundings  in  which  they 
were  born,  then  neither  of  them  would  ever  have  needed 
shoes.  But  we  know  it  is  different,  we  would  not  be  satis- 
fied today  to  use  candles  for  lights  that  our  parents  got 
along  with  fifty  years  ago.  Horseshoeing,  as  humble  as  the 
avocation  may  be,  it  behooves  us  to  be  consistent  and  to  re- 
joice that  we  may  be  numbered  among  the  growing  throng, 
progressing  in  the  onward  march  of  thoughts, — admitting 

18 


that  the  auto  is  used  some  in  place  of  horses,  and  admitting 
the  auto,  like  the  horse,  is  not  only  good,  but  necessary,— 
but  to  think  that  the  auto  is  crowding  the  horse  out,  that  is 
only  like  an  idle  dream,  because  the  auto  is  too  expensive 
and  is  much  the  cause  of  the  cost  of  high  living.  You  can 
take  it  like  this  :  A  five-year-old  horse  is  much  younger 
than  a  five-year-old  auto.  What  a  horse  is  lacking 
in  speed,  he  outclasses  the  auto  for  endurance.  Be- 
fore the  auto  was  known  forty  years  ago,  there 
were  but  four  million  horses  in  this  coun- 
try, and  they  were  valued  at  an  average  of  $52.00  a  head. 
In  1914  the  number  of  horses  registered  20,000,000,  at  an 
average  value  of  $110.00  a  head.  Manufacturers  and 
wholesale  concerns  have  experimented  with  auto-trucks,  but 
they  are  now  replacing  them  with  horses  because  the  horse  is 
more  reliable,  more  economical,  better  for  endurance,  and 
they  are  man's  good  companions.  The  advent  of  the  auto 
will  never  detract  from  the  glory  which  the  horse  rightfully 
deserves.  If  you  would  only  allow  one-fourth  of  the  ex- 
pense on  a  team  that  you  are  forced  to  spend  on  an  auto, 
it  would  make  your  team  look  most  beautiful,  you  can  be 
sure  of  this,  the  horse  is  here  and  is  here  to  stay,  as  the 
horse  outlasts  three  machines.  We  may  admit  in  the  last 
few  years,  the  auto  has  been  in  full  sway  and  has  checked 
the  shoeing  business  some,  but  don't  you  know  also  it  is  go- 
ing to  an  extreme  and  when  we  go  to  an  extreme  in  any- 
thing, something  is  going  to  go  wrong.  The  time  is  still 
remembered  when  the  Puritans  in  their  religious  way  they 
dared  not  kiss  their  wife  on  Sunday,  or  his  neighbor's  wife 
on  any  other  day  of  a  week.  But  now  we  are  rushing  to  an 
extreme  of  the  reverse,  so  the  law  must  take  a  hand  and 
stop  love-making  in  public.  And  so  it  is  with  the  auto, 
everybody  is  trying  to  rush  to  the  front,  and  the  law  should 
take  a  hand  in  it  to  safeguard  the  public,  a  change  is  bound 
to  come.  In  the  next  ten  years  there  will  be  many  horses 
taking  the  place  of  autos  and  horseshoers  should  buckle  in 

19 


and  prepare  themselves  to  keep  horse  on  their  feet  so  they 
can  always  perform  their  duty.  It  will  add  to  increase  the 
horse  and  encourage  those  who  are  using  them. 

In  speaking  about  horseshoeing,  that  it  is  old  and  of 
little  interest,  don't  overlook  the  change  and  improvements 
of  our  highways  for  horses  to  travel  over.  The  improve- 
ments of  the  roads  for  the  horse  seems  like  a  blessing  that 
he  will  be  permitted  to  travel  over  roads  where  the  footing 
is  level  and  firm,  because  it  is  not  the  hard  roads  that  is  the 
cause  of  so  much  lameness,  as  much  as  unskillful  and 
awkward  shoeing  or  neglect.  If  from  neglect  the  horse  tra- 
veling on  firm  footing  will  soon  remind  the  owner  of  his 
carelessness,  but  just  as  the  footing  has  been  made  artificial 
and  firm,  so  must  shoeing  be  changed  and  improved  accord- 
ingly and  when  you  understand  the  meaning  in  this  little 
book  you  will  then  admit  that  it  is  not  only  good,  but  neces- 
sary. Understand  me,  I  am  not  writing  and  offering  this 
book  for  sale  just  to  get  your  money,  I  have  been  writing 
along  these  lines  for  the  last  twenty  years,  always  without 
money,  but  now,  having  put  this  story  into  a  book  form,  I 
must  make  expenses  and  live  as  I  work  along.  If  you  don't 
understand  it  from  the  first  reading,  read  it  again.  I  know 
one  page  of  it  is  worth  the  price  you  pay  for  it,  whatever 
part  interests  you,  and  when  you  understand  it,  you  will  ad- 
mit it,  and  then  advise  your  neighbor  to  get  one  like  it,  and 
that  is  the  way  to  pay  for  this  little  book  in  full.  What  I 
am  writing  is  true,  and  it  will  always  be  so.  The  money 
you  pay  for  it  you  will  soon  forget,  but  its  teachings  will 
benefit  you  forever  because  horses'  feet  will  always  be  as 
men  make  them,  and,  therefore,  we  must  understand  and 
know  how  to  treat  them.  Now,  I  do  not  wish  to  make  you 
tired  reading  on  one  subject,  so  I  am  going-  to  let  you  read 
about  something  else. 

As  I  said,  married  life  is  a  science.  Men  and  women 
should  study  each  other,  how  they  can  best  please  each  other 
and  then  act  accordingly.  If  married  people  would  try  and 

20 


understand  each  other  like  a  good  lawyer  understands  the 
science  of  law  and  makes  use  of  it,  then  married  life  could 
exist  without  friction,  but  it  is  through  stubbornness  or 
some  other  foolishness  that  trouble  begins.  If  we  could  all 
be  more  human,  most  of  our  dead  locks  of  hate  would  dis- 
appear. We  should  not  seek  to  antagonize,  but  we  should 
try  to  help  each  other,  as  sometimes  it  doesn't  take  very 
much  to  cause  a  person  to  an  excited  feeling  and  destroy 
that  sweet  emotion.  You  see  we  all  have  minds  that  conceal 
thoughts  of  both  good  and  evil,  but  we  should  not  always 
see  a  sliver  in  the  eyes  of  others  and  not  notice  the  timber 
in  our  own.  Remember  no  one  ever  got  very  popular  by 
knocking,  so  let  us  not  burden  ourselves  unduly  with  what 
others  may  say  regarding  us.  Rather  let  us  turn  a  deaf 
ear  to  all  utterance  of  unjust  criticism.  If  we  know  that  we 
are  free  from  the  habit  of  criticizing  ourselves,  we  can  then 
be  sure  there  is  no  weapon  formed  that  can  prosper  against 
us,  if  we  want  to  be  at  peace  with  ourselves  and  the  world. 
We  must  not  only  refrain  from  doing  and  thinking  evil,  but 
we  must  forsake  it.  You  see  there  is  so  much  good  in  the 
worst  of  us  and  so  much  bad  in  the  best  of  us,  therefore  it 
behooves  us,  that  none  of  us  should  speak  ill  of  any  of  us. 
We  all  look  at  outsiders  differently,  when  we  are  inside, 
which  should  not  concern  us.  There  are  more  valuable  and 
more  important  things  in  life  that  we  should  pay  attention 
to.  Speaking  of  married  life,  as  a  science,  it  is  most  cer- 
tainly a  science  to  keep  love  in  circulation.  Of  course,  any 
man  or  woman  that  have  thorough  love  both  of  them  wants 
to  see  the  other  happy,  but  the  case  often  is  when  men  grow 
old  love  for  them  grows  cold.  It  is  surprising  that  pots  full 
of  ink  are  splashed  through  the  daily  papers  in  telling  of 
how  to  avoid  divorces,  preachers,  doctors  and  others  have 
expressed  themselves,  but  they  all  differ  in  their  conclusions. 
Some  say  how  old  we  ought  to  be  before  marriage,  how 
long  we  ought  to  know  each  other  and  that  a  couple  shall 
know  each  other's  reputation,  breeding,  etc.,  before  mar- 

21 


riage.  But  such  imaginations  are  without  foun- 
dation. We  may  take  our  place  among  the  best  today  and 
have  a  record  for  uprightness  in  every  detail,  then  comes 
a  temptation,  a  desire  for  something  to  gratify  us,  and  we 
yield.  Then  the  community  that  knows  us  is  shocked,  but 
age,  reputation,  etc.,  is  not  responsible  for  it.  Life  is  a 
thing  of  mind  and  spirit.  They  are  real.  They  are  the 
things  that  will  buy  the  world  at  last  as  its  foundation  is  not 
built  on  sand.  If  we  would  all  be  princes  of  peace,  there 
would  be  no  war  among  men  or  nations.  Strikes  are  gener- 
ally made  for  to  obtain  better  conditions,  but  rioting  is 
usually  caused  by  men  lacking  education  and  others  loose 
their  heads  through  excitement.  If  nations  as  a  whole  had 
more  true  religion  then  there  would  be  no  wars  amongst 
them.  Nations  are  not  at  war  because  they  hate  each  other, 
but  jealousy,  greed  and  revenge  is  the  cause  of  war,  to 
check  prosperity  of  its  enemy,  and  that  is  just  why  the  Eu- 
ropean war  is  going  on  today,  and  it  is  among  individuals 
like  it  is  among  nations,,  even  among  horseshoers,  where 
selfishness  and  revenge  prevails,  it  causes  ill  feeling  and 
makes  conditions  unfavorable.  You  know  those  abu- 
sive remarks  you  made  about  your  neighbor  as  a  black  mail- 
ing scheme.  You  know  you  lied,  and  you  know  a  lie  travels 
like  a  fast  express,  while  the  truth  goes  by  slow  freight  and 
is  generally  ditched  at  the  first  stop,  'and  as  a  reward,  what 
satisfaction  or  pleasure  have  you  out  of  it? 

And  you,  that  letter  you  wrote  for  to  get  revenge,  try- 
ing to  disturb  the  peace  between  parents  and  their  children, 
and  you  too  lied,  and  what  good  did  it  do  you?  You  have 
only  made  for  yourself  a  low  record  that  will  always  be  re- 
membered by  at  least  those  concerned.  How  can  you  an- 
swer for  such  cunning?  Just  notice  the  affection  of  ani- 
mals, how  exciting  it  is  when  you  take  calf  away  from  a 
mother  cow.  Of  course  the  animal's  memory  is  not  so  last- 
ing as  parent's  to  their  children,  but  your  lies  will  be  dis- 
covered and  when  convictiion  comes  you  that  do  those 

22 


things  ought  to  be  driven  into  the  hottest  corner  of  hell, 
where  you  must  appear  in  person.  You  cannot  hire  a  sub- 
stitute, who  would  take  the  punishment  for  you. 

And  oh,  when  this  European  War  is  ended,  those  that 
were  the  cause  of  it,  now  wish  they  were  out  of  it.  The 
enemies  of  Germany  they  know,  now,  that  their  army  and 
navy  are  not  capable  of  earning  for  them  the  glory  that 
they  had  plotted  out.  Their  proud  cries  that  we  are  bound 
to  win  have  changed  to  that  we  may  win.  An  English  lady 
in  a  letter  to  the  Times,  says :  "The  people  of  England  are 
treated  like  little  children,  shielding  carefully  from  them 
any  breath  of  trouble,  trying  to  make  us  think  it  is  all  gold 
that  shines  and  all  the  battles  fought  are  victorious  for  the 
Allies.  They  keep  the  public  in  ignorance  as  to  what  is  go- 
ing on  in  the  battle  fields,  and  when  or  where  their  rela- 
tives are  killed,  and  so  forth,  and  do  you  wonder  why  I'm 
writing  about  the  European  War.  Let  me  tell  you  the 
reason  why,  it  is  the  intensity  of  my  feeings  that  compels 
me  to  say  something  in  behalf  of  the  Fatherland,  just  as  I 
am  writing  about  the  horse,  and  that  his  right  may  be  re- 
spected, and  to  let  you  know  who  was  the  cause  of  this  war 
and  who  started  it.  Russia  started  the  war  while  England 
was  the  cause  of  it.  We  here  in  America  are  led  to  believe 
that  the  Kaiser  was  the  cause  of  the  war  and  in  behalf  of 
the  Kaiser  and  Fatherland,  I  want  to  say  we  put  the  blame 
on  the  wrong  man.  You  may  now  read  the  Official  Text 
of  telegrams  that  Kaiser  Wilhelm  sent  to  the  Czar  of  Rus- 
sia, the  King  of  England  and  to  the  Republic  of  France, 
before  war  was  started : 

It  should  convince  you  that  the  Kaiser  earnestly  strove 
for  peace  until  the  last,  when  he  was  forced  to  go  into  this 
war  for  the  defense  of  the  German  Empire,  because  Russia 
was  marching  into  Germany  from  the  East.  The  French 
were  mobilizing  and  going  through  Belgium  to  strike  at 
Germany  at  the  Rhein,  and  the  Belgiums  joined  the  French 
for  the  same  purpose.  Then  England  saw  Germany  was  be- 

23 


tween  two  fires,  and  declared  war  on  Germany  the  4th  day 
of  August,  1914:  It  was  that  day  when  England  pawned 
her  soul  to  the  Devil,  and  she  cannot  redeem  it  until 
she  has  payed  for  all  the  war  expense  and  suffering 
caused  by  the  war.  The  higher  up  ones  of  Eng- 
land, like  the  Russians,  must  bend  or  break.  Eng- 
land is  now  paying  the  price  for  driving  the 
Boers  from  their  homes  in  South  Africa,  for  greed,  to 
please  a  few  higher  up  ones  in  1900.  What  do  you  think 
of  nations  that  say,  to  the  common  people :  "Stand  up,  you 
men,  to  be  shot  down  and,  don't  ask  the  reason  why.  We 
higher  up  ones  see  fit  to  have  you  die:  In  Germany  it  is 
different.  All  are  soldiers  and,  in  proof  that  all  take  part, 
the  Kaisr  and  his  sons  are  fighting  at  the  fronts.  We 
in  America  have  read  the  reports  from  London,  England, 
that  the  German  Crown  Prince  has  been  killed.  But  he  has 
risen  again  and  like  other  higher  up  ones  is  still  at  the  front, 
fighting  again  for  his  country.  And  here  are  the 

"Kaiser's  Early  Offer  to  Promote  Peace" 

"Emperor  Wilhelm  to  Czar  Nicholas,  July  28,  1914, 
10 145  a.  m. 

"It  is  with  the  greatest  apprehension  I  learn  of  the  im- 
pression caused  by  the  Empire  of  Austria  Hungary's  pro- 
ceeding against  Serbia.  The  unscrupulous  propaganda  has 
been  perpetrated  for  years  and  in  Serbia  has  led  to  the  re- 
volting crime  to  which  Archduke  Francis  Ferdinand  has 
fallen  a  victim. 

"The  very  spirit  which  has  prompted  the  Serbian  to 
murder  their  own  king  and  his  consort  is  still  ruling  that 
country.  Thou  will  undoubtedly  coincide  with  me,  that  it  is 
for  the  common  interest  of  both  of  us,  thou,  as  well  as  my- 
self, and  also  any  other  sovereigns,  that  we  insist  that  all 
those  that  are  morally  responsible  for  this  dastardly  murder 
should  suffer  their  merited  punishment. 

"On  the  other  hand,  I  perceive  well  enough  the  diffi- 

24 


culty  it  would  be  for  thee  and  thy  Government  to  oppose  the 
current  of  public  opinion.  Remembering  the  cordual  friend- 
ship uniting  us  for  a  considerable  time  with  a  strong  bond, 
I  shall  exert  my  whole  influence  upon  Austria-Hungary  to 
induce  her  to  reach  an  open  and  satisfactory  agreement  with 
Russia. 

"I  confidently  hope  thou  wilt  support  me  in  my  en- 
deavors to  eliminate  all  difficulties  which  may  yet  arise. 

"Thy  very  sincere  and  devoted  friend  and  cousin. 

"WILHELM." 

"Kaiser's  Warning  on  Mobilization" 

"Emperor  Wilhelm  to  Czar  Nicholas,  July  29,  I  p.  m. 

"My  Ambassador  has  been  directed  to  indicate  to  thy 
Government  the  dangers  and  grave  consequences  of  a  mobi- 
lization; I  told  thee  the  same  in  my  last  telegram,  Austria- 
Hungary  has  only  mobilized  against  Serbia,  at  that  only 
part  of  her  army. 

"If  Russia  should  mobilize  against  Austria-Hun- 
gary, as  is  actually  the  case,  according  to  communications 
by  thyself  and  thy  Government,  then  my  role  as  a  mediator 
which  thou  hast  conferred  upon  me  in  so  friendly  a  manner, 
and  which  I  have  accepted  upon  thy  express  request,  will 
be  jeopardized,  if  not  rendered  impossible. 

"The  whole  burden  of  decision  is  now  resting  upon 
thy  shoulders;  thou  have  to  bear  the  responsibility  for  war 
or  peace. 

"WILHELM." 

"Serbian  Provinces  Untrustworthy" 

"Emperor  Wihelm  to  Czar  Nicholas,  July  30,  6  130  p.  m. 

"I  received  thy  telegram  and  share  thy  wishes  for 
maintenance  of  the  peace.  However,  as  stated  in  my  first 
telegram  I  cannot  view  the  act  of  Austria- Hungary  as  out- 
rageous war. 

25 


"Austria-Hungary  knows  from  experience  that  Ser- 
bian promises,  if  only  made  on  paper,  are  altogether  un- 
trustworthy. In  my  opinion  the  act  of  Austria-Hungary 
is  to  be  viewed  as  endeavoring  to  obtain  full  guarantee  of 
Serbia  that  her  promises  be  actually  fulfilled. 

"This  view  of  mine  is  confirmed  by  the  declaration  of 
the  Austrian  Cabinet  to  the  effect  that  Austria-Hungary 
does  not  intend  to  make  any  territorial  conquests  at  the  ex- 
pense of  Serbia.  Hence  I  remain  as  spectator  at  the  end  of 
Austria-Serbian  war,  without  drawing  Europe  into  the  most 
terrible  war  in  history. 

"I  believe  a  direct  arrangement  between  thy  Govern- 
ment and  Vienna  to  be  possible  and  desirable,  an  agree- 
ment which  my  government  is  bent  to  promote  with  all  its 
powers,  as  I  have  already  wired  thee.  Of  course,  military 
measures  on  the  part  of  Russia  which  may  be  regarded  by 
Austria-Hungary  as  threatening  would  hasten  a  disaster 
that  we  both  desire  to  avoid.  They  also  woud  undermine 
my  position  as  mediator  which  I  gladly  have  accepted  upon 
thy  appeal  for  my  friendship  and  aid. 

"WILHELM." 

"Prince  Henry  of  Prussia,  the  Brother  of  Kaiser 
Wilhelm  to  King  George  of  England,  July  30,  1914. 

'Am  here  since  yesterday.  Have  communicated  to 
Wilhelm  everything  you  told  me  so  kindly  at  Buckingham 
Palace  last  Sunday,  and  he  gratefully  received  your  mes- 
sage. 

"WILHELM,  GREATLY  WORRIED,  IS  DOING 
HIS  UTMOST  IN  WORKING  FOR  THE  MAINTEN- 
ANCE OF  PEACE,  IN  RESPONSE  TO  NICHOLAS' 
REQUEST. 

"He  is  in  permanent  telegraphic  communication  with 
Nicholas,  who  today  confirms  the  report  of  having  ordered 
military  measurer,  tantamount  to  mobilization,  which  mea- 
sures have  been  taken  already  five  days  ago. 

26 


"Moreover,  we  are  informed  of  France  making  mili- 
tary preparations,  whereas  we  have  not  directed  any  mea- 
sures, but  may  be  forced  to  do  so  at  any  moment,  if  our 
neighbors  should  keep  on.  The  upshot  would  be  a  Euro- 
pean war. 

"I  may  add  Germany  and  England  should  mutually 
support  one  another  now  more  than  ever  to  prevent  a  ter- 
rible calamity  which  otherwise  would  seem  unavoidable. 

"Believe  me,  Wilhelm  is  most  sincere  in  his  efforts  at 
preserving  peace.  However,  we  may  ultimately  be  forced 
by  the  military  preparations  of  his  two  neighbors  to  follow 
their  example  in  order  to  assure  the  safety  of  his  own  coun- 
try which  otherwise  would  remain  defenseless. 

"I  have  informed  Wilhelm  of  my  telegram  to  you  and 
I  hope  you  will  receive  my  communications  in  the  same 
friendly  spirit  which  has  prompted  them. 

"HEINRICH." 
"Kaiser  Tells  of  Russian  Mobilization" 

"Emperor  Wilhelm  to  King  George.    July  30,  1914. 

"Many  thanks  for  your  friendly  communication.  Your 
suggestions  are  coinciding  with  my  ideas  and  with  the  in- 
formation which  I  received  tonight  from  Vienna  and  which 
I  have  passed  on  to  London. 

"This  moment  I  have  received  the  news  from  my 
Chancellor  that  he  has  just  been  informed  of  Nicholas 
having  ordered  tonight  the  mobilization  of  the  entire  army 
and  navy.  He  not  even  has  waited  for  results  of  the  medi- 
ation I  work  upon  and  has  left  me  altogether  without  news. 

"I  am  departing  for  Berlin  to  guard  the  safety  of  my 
Eastern  Frontiers,  where  already  strong  Russian  forces 
have  been  stationed. 

"WILHELM." 

Does  this  sound  to  you  that  the  Kaiser  is  a  WAR 
LORD?  Dismiss  that  belief,  and  give  him  the  benefit  of 

27 


what  he  stands  for.  He  is  a  King  of  Peace,  by  talent  he 
is  a  soldier,  and,  by  nature  a  nobleman — that  explains  the 
success  of  the  German  army.  And  furthermore  England 
should  have  remembered  that  Russia  and  France  attempted 
to  induce  Germany  to  join  them  in  a  combination  war 
against  Great  Britain  and  destroy  her  in  1901  while  she  was 
engaged  in  the  Boer  war.  Let  it  be  remembered  it  was  to 
the  credit  of  the  Kaiser  that  he  rejected  these  proposals,  and 
Great  Britain  was  saved  in  consequence.  This  is  some 
more  proof  what  the  Kaiser  stands  for. 

We  in  America  say  if  Germany  did  not  figure  on  war, 
what  does  she  keep  such  large  armies  for?  Well,  Germany 
has  not  got  as  large  an  army  as  France.  The  population  of 
Germany  is  70,000,000,  and  has  an  army  of  5,000,000; 
France's  population  is  40,000,000,  and  has  an  army  of 
4,000,000.  So  Germany,  out  of  30,000,000  more  popula- 
tion than  France,  has  1,000,000  soldiers, — while  France, 
out  of  40,000,000,  has  4,000,000  soldiers.  And  Russia  has 
a  larger  army  than  either  Germany  or  France.  And  while 
we  are  talking  about  the  large  army  of  Germany,  we  say 
very  little  about  England's  big  fleets  and  that  she  spent 
$225,000,000  in  1913  to  enlarge  her  navy.  Neither  do  we 
say  anything  about  that  Russia  added  600,000  to  her  army 
in  1913.  And  as  far  back  as  1912  the  military  party  of  the 
French  Republic  openly  inaugurated  aggressive  prepara- 
tions, including  the  projects  for  bringing  the  colored  troops 
of  the  French  colonies  in  to  line  against  Germany,  and,  for 
the  increase  in  standing  army  by  a  bill  known  as  a  Three 
Years'  Service  Law;  all  this  was  done  by  the  French 
Parliament  in  1913.  What  did  all  this  mean?  They  were 
preparing  to  crush  Germany!  While  Germany  was  won- 
dering and  watching  about  these  that  are  now  her  enemies 
she  simply  kept  pace  with  them.  Why,  England  has  more 
battleships  and  cruisers  than  Germany,  Russia  and  France 
put  together,  and  now  during  this  war,  England  has  im- 
ported all  the  breeds  that  she  can  get  a  hold  of,  to  swell 

28 


the  size  of  her  army  in  equal  to  that  of  other  nations,  so 
Germany  has  to  defend  herself  and  is  righting  four  to  one. 
These  figures  are  from  facts.  And  we  say  it  is  that  big 
army  of  Germany  that  keeps  the  country  poor. 

To  satisfy  you  of  more  real  facts,  I  herewith  give 
figures  of  the  national  debt.  They  are  as  follows :  Eng- 
land, $3,695,854,000,  London;  France,  $6,283,675,000, 
Paris;  Russia,  $4,553,488,000,  St.  Petersburg;  Germany, 
$1,177,418,000,  Berlin. 

Does  this  look  like  Germany  is  worse  off  than  her 
enemies ;  I  get  other  information  from  Germany,  as  I  have  a 
sister  living  there  who  has  five  sons  in  the  army.  She 
has  one  daughter  married,  and  her  husband  is  with  the 
army  also.  One  of  her  boys  was  killed  February  I7th, 
and  another  was  wounded  in  the  month  of  April.  He  wrote 
his  father  and  mother,  all  the  dead  and  wounded  belonging 
to  his  regiment  was  caused  by  American  powder  and  ex- 
plosives ;  and  she  asked  me  to  tell  her  why  the  Americans 
are  helping  England  and  her  allies.  And,  she  said,  you 
Americans  know  that  we  are  surrounded,  righting  four  to 
one  in  self-defense ;  and  says  this  good  sister  of  mine,  we 
have  five  sons  in  the  army ;  if  we  lose  them  all,  I  know  it  is 
hard  to  sacrifice,  but  the  English  with  the  help  of  the 
Americans  cannot  starve  or  kill  all  of  Germany.  We  have 
confidence  in  the  Kaiser,  our  leader,  and  who  we  know  did 
not  want  war.  Ludwig,  believe  me,  the  Kaiser,  with  six 
sons,  are  fighting  at  the  front,  and  we  will  all  help  to  carry 
this  war  to  the  very  end.  Ludwig,  you  say  your  Govern- 
ment is  not  making  or  sending  ammunition  to  England, 
and  then  you  say  your  President  at  the  beginning  of  this 
war  asked  the  American  people  to  set  aside  one  day  to  pray 
for  peace. 

Aber  wir  denken,  Der  Lieber  Gott  hat  eug  nicht  gehort. 
It  means:  But  we  think  the  Dear  Lord  did  not  hear  you 
people. 

It  reminds  us  here,   it  is   like  with  the   Russian,   the 

29 


Priest  gives  the  soldiers  all  a  blessing  before  they  go  to 
the  battlefield,  but  after  the  battle  and  when  they  have  a 
chance,  they  act  more  like  beasts  than  human.  And  we 
think  it  is  so  with  some  of  you  Americans,  praying  for 
peace,  and,  at  the  same  time  doing  all  you  can  to  help 
England  and  her  Allies  to  prolong  the  war.  You  ought  to 
know  you  cannot  fool  God.  We  here  are  wondering  who  is 
running  your  country.  We  know  this  much,  Americans 
are  helping  the  English  and  her  Allies  to  prolong  the  war. 
Shiploads  of  food  sent  from  your  country  for  the  civilians 
of  Germany,  England  seizes  all  of  this  and  your  country 
does  not  make  England  release  any  of  it,  and,  in  that  way, 
helps  England  to  starve  us.  But  Germany  cannot  be  starved 
or  beaten.  God  is  our  trusty  shield  and  weapon.  Those 
clippings  you  sent  me  from  your  newspapers  is  nothing  but 
a  falsehood,  and  they  are  dirty  lies.  We  think  it  is  a  dis- 
grace for  your  government  and  your  press  to  let  such  rot 
be  printed.  The  English  tell  us  about  the  German  atroci- 
ties, such  as  the  destruction  of  Lou  vain.  But  they  hide 
carefully  the  cause  of  it.  They  tell  these  things  because  they 
don't  get  any  chance  to  destroy  any  part  of  Germany. 
They  complain  about  the  Zeppelins  and  the  activity  of  the 
submarines,  because  England  has  not  got  them.  So  Eng- 
land asks  the  U.  S.  A.  to  tell  Germany  to  stop  this  subma- 
rine warfare  and,  the  U.  S.  A.  sends  protest  after  protest  to 
Germany  that  she  must  stop  this  submarine  warfare,  and,  it 
is  this  pro-English,  as  the  German  people  take  it  across 
the  pond,  that  has  caused  a  dislike  to  the  Americans. 

And  Sister  Maria  is  right.  Americans  are  helping 
England  to  prolong  the  wTar.  We  are  reading  a  lot  of  lies 
about  the  cause  of  the  war.  That  Germany  did 
not  start  the  war.  Read  this,  for  instance,  from  Sir  Alfred 
Milner,  a  British  Governor  in  Parliament,  in  part  he  says : 
"This  consummation  can  only  be  prevented  by  beating  Ger- 
many on  land,  and,  unless  it  can  be  prevented,  England  will 
in  fact  be  defeated,  FOR  WE  HAVE  FAILED  TO 

30 


ACHIEVE  ANY  ONE  OF  THE  OBJECTS  FOR 
WHICH  WE  STARTED  THIS  WAR." 

At  a  later  date,  the  London  Times  publishes  an  article 
by  Lord  Charles  Beresford.  In  his  speech  he  says:  "We 
began  the  war,  with  two  great  assets,  our  fleet  and  our 
wealth,"  and  he  adds,  "We  shall  soon  be  bankrupt  if  this 
goes  on."  Does  this  not  tell  us  in  plain  English  that  Eng- 
land had  planned  what  to  do  when  she  declared  war  on 
Germany,  after  she  had  lured  others  into  it?  And  further, 
says  sister  Maria,  we  know  the  American  papers  are  mis- 
leading your  people,  like  the  enemies  of  Germany  are  miss- 
leading  their  own  people,  but  even  with  all  the  ill  will  in 
the  papers  against  Germany,  we  know  truth  will  win,  and 
all  the  unjust  criticism  shall  unconcern  us.  The  German 
people  look  at  it  like  this,  during  the  Spanish- American  war 
when  a  shipload  started  to  sail  with  the  ammunition  for 
Spain,  the  American  Ambassador,  Mr.  White,  informed  the 
German  Government,  and  the  Kaiser  at  once  ordered  that 
ship  to  return  and  that  no  ammunition  should  be  sold  to 
Spain  against  the  Americans.  And  so  the  people  in  Ger- 
many don't  understand  why  America  should  help  England 
and  her  Allies  to  prolong  the  war.  I  am  telling  this,  as  I 
believe  you  want  to  know  the  truth. 

And,  says  Sister  Maria,  "Women  here  cheerfully  take 
the  place  of  men  in  planting  the  seeds  for  the  coming  har- 
vest, as  now  there  is  no  suffering  here  for  want  of  food  and 
otherwise.  Bread  in  certain  quantities  is  dealt  out  to  us  by 
the  government.  The  food  is  healthy ;  we  all  like  it  and  get 
plenty  of  it.  We  on  the  ranches  have  to  use  candles  for 
light,' as  the  Government  has  taken  over  the  petroleum,  but 
while  we  are  using  candles,  we  are  not  breaking  any  lamp 
chimneys,  so  it  isn't  so  bad  after  all." 

Just  think  of  what  Sister  Maria  says  to  me :  If  we 
must  lose  all  our  sons,  England  cannot  crush  the  Father- 
land. The  civilians  of  Germany  realize  that  it  is  better  to 
lose  part  of  Germany's  brave  men,  than  to  let  the  enemies, 

31 


such  as  they  are,  run  through  the  Fatherland  and  murder 
the  defenseless  people  in  their  homes.  That's  the  way  with 
the  Germans ;  first  their  Fatherland,  then  their  family.  Can 
you  beat  it? 

The  cry  from  the  people  in  this  country  is :  Germany 
did  wrong  by  going  into  Belgium,  but  the  people  don't  say 
anything  about  the  French  already  having  gone  into  Bel- 
gium where  they  had  joined  the  Belgium  army  with  the  in- 
tention to  strike  at  Germany  from  the  Belgium  frontier. 

France  and  Belgium  violated  the  neutrality  law  long 
before  Germany  set  foot  on  Belgium  soil.  When  Germany 
asked  the  Belgiums  to  let  her  go  through  that  country 
she  was  answered  with  guns.  So  Germany  was  forced  to 
fight  in  self-defense.  Let  me  illustrate  Germany's  position : 
If  you  were  living  on  a  ranch  surrounded  by  four  other 
ranches  and  supposing  they  had  plotted  together  to  get  you 
out  of  that  place,  and  that  you  knew  they  were  coming,  and 
as  they  were  closing  in  on  you,  you  would  surely  strike  at 
the  one  most  dangerous  and  not  wait  until  they  could  all 
poke  you  with  the  point  of  a  bayonet,  that  would  be  a  cow- 
ardly act  and  it  would  make  it  extremely  uncomfortable  for 
those  that  depended  on  you.  Such  was  the  condition  of 
Germany  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  surrounded  by  four 
enemies,  and  had  Germany  not  known  when  and  where  to 
strike,  she  would  have  been  at  the  mercy  of  her  enemies, 
and  would  have  been  wiped  off  the  map.  It  was  only 
through  Germany's  quick  thought  and  action  that  she  pre- 
vented the  enemies  in  entering  far  into  Germany.  We 
are  always  reminded  of  the  poor  Belgians  and  for  the  Ger- 
mans to  take  their  country,  etc.  Let  me  tell  you,  it  was  the 
Belgiums'  own  fault.  In  proof  of  it,  before  the  Germans 
came  to  Brussels,  the  capital  of  Belgium,  Germany  offered 
to  make  peace  with  them  and  pay  for  all  the  damage  done, 
but  Belgium  did  not  listen  to  Germany's  warning,  but  de- 
pended on  the  promise  of  England.  Why  should  not  Eng- 
land restore  that  country  for  them  and  in  all  take  care  of 

32 


them  and  no  one  should  see  any  wrong  for  Germany  to  keep 
it,  and,  any  other  part  of  territory  that  the  Germans  had  to 
battle  for  in  order  to  keep  the  enemy  out  of  .the  Fatherland. 

It  was  England  that  told  the  Belgiums  to  resist,  and  the 
Belgiums  depended  on  the  English  promise  for  a  big  reward. 
Like  England  ordered  the  Japanese  to  declare  war  on  Ger- 
many, and  drive  the  German  settlers  from  their  homes  in 
Asia  where  the  German  Government  had  spent  $40,000,000 
for  railroads,  schools  and  churches.  The  Germans  had  no 
army  there  to  speak  of ;  the  Japanese  took  advantage  of  this 
and  drove  the  German  settlers  from  their  homes.  All  this 
was  done  to  please  England. 

We  must  all  remember,  and  always,  Germany  was  not  the 
cause  of  the  war.  If  Germany  had  been  figuring  on  making 
this  war,  she  would  at  least  had  all  her  ships  home.  Ger- 
many was  taken  by  surprise,  and  history  could  not  describe 
the  brutality  that  would  have  befallen  the  German  civilians 
from  the  enemies'  soldiers.  We  all  know  what  the  Russian 
Cossacks  did  to  the  German  women  and  children.  It  is  too 
shameful  here  to  print.  The  English  imported  for 
their  armies  as  fighters  the  Indians  or  Hindus. 
They  are  said  to  be  the  pride  of  the  English  army. 
They  call  them  the  fire-eaters,  because  they  can  send  them  to 
the  front  like  a  flock  of  sheep  to  a  slaughter  house.  They 
are  so  daring,  so  some  people  look  at  it !  They  fight  cannon 
balls  with  their  knives.  With  them  is  another  trible,  the 
wilds  from  Egypt,  the  blacks  from  Africa,  and  brown  men 
wherever  England  can  buy  them.  ALL  FOR  THE  SAKE 
TO  CRUSH  GERMANY.  And  even  the  English  them- 
selves are  no  exception  to  the  Russian  Cossacks.  Deceiving 
and  misleading  is  their  game.  Do  you  know  that  an  Eng- 
lish officer  of  a  patrol  boat  had  the  commander  and  men 
killed  of  a  German  submarine  when  the  submarine  was 
sinking  and  the  men  had  surrendered  ?  But  the  commander 
of  the  British  war  vessel  said,  take  no  prisoners,  kill  them 
all.  This  British  warship  was  painted  with  the  Stars  and 

33 


Stripes,  and  was  flying  the  American  flag.  This  is  sworn 
to  in  the  United  States  Courts  by  the  foreman  and  his  man 
from  a  steamer  that  was  loaded  with  mules  for  Liverpool 
that  was  at  the  very  spot  where  the  helpless  Germans  were 
killed  after  they  had  surrendered.  That  the  officer  of  the 
British  warship  ordered  the  captain  of  the  transport  steamer 
to  caution  his  men  and  to  not  say  anything  about  the  inci- 
dent when  they  arrived  at  Liverpool.  Of  course  results 
for  using  or  abusing  the  American  flag  by  the  English  has 
not  as  yet  developed,  and  I  don't  know  whether  the  Ameri- 
can Government  cares  to  do  anything  about  it.  But  even 
with  all  the  help  that  England  gets  or  takes,  as  it  looks  now, 
Germany  has  her  enemy  beat.  This  may  sound  rather 
sweeping,  but  I  know  what  I  am  writing  about.  This  is 
May  17,  1915,  and  I'll  just  take  a  chance  in  adding,  all  the 
soldiers  that  are  left  will  be  home  by  Christmas,  or  before, 
if  the  Americans  stop  sending  ammunition  and  money  to 
England  and  her  Allies.  What  say  you  folks  to  that? 

I  must  tell  you  of  last  winter.  I  had  an  argument  with 
an  Irishman  and  in  our  quarrel  about  the  war,  he  said,  well, 
just  as  soon  as  this  war  is  over,  I  'am  going  to  London. 
England.  Well,  said  I,  if  you  want  to  go  to  London,  Eng- 
land, you  have  to  go  before  the  war  is  over,  because  after 
the  war  it  will  be  London,  Germany.  Then,  said  my  Irish 
friend  to  me,  don't  you  know  that  this  John  Redmond,  the 
Irish  leader,  is  getting  all  the  Irish  to  enlist ;  he  tells  his 
countrymen  they  must  enlist,  because  he,  Redmond,  has 
promised  a  priest  in  Belgium  that  he  will  send  an  Irish  army 
over  there  to  drive  the  Germans  out  of  that  country.  Then, 
I  said,  you  boasting  about  this  man,  Redmond,  a  man  that 
is  trying  to  serve  two  masters,  advising  his  countrymen  they 
must  stand  up  to  be  shot  down  to  please  a  few  higher  up 
ones.  He,  Redmond,  should  be  ashamed  of  himself,  deceiv- 
ing his  friends  to  please  Lord  Kitchener  and  a  few  high- 
er up  ones  in  England.  Then,  said  my  Irish  friend,  here 
in  this  morning's  paper  you  see  Lord  Kitchener  has  sent 

34 


280,000  Russians  into  France  that  the  Germans  don't  know 
anything  about.  I  then  said,  Lord  Kitchener  must  be  Irish, 
too.  And,  said  my  Irish  friend,  and  to  be  sure  he  is.  Well, 
said  I,  don't  you  know  the  Irish  cannot  Deat  the  Dutch. 
But  give  Redmond  credit  for  his  cunning.  And  that  big 
army  of  Russians  that  Lord  Kitchener  sent,  as  you  believe, 
will  be  blown  away  like  the  snows  from  the  winds.  It  will 
be  a  good  work  out  for  the  Germans  before  breakfast.  And, 
I  added,  you  ought  to  go  to  Ireland  and  advise  the  Irish 
to  not  take  any  stock  in  Redmond.  He  is  only  working  for 
English  money,  more  than  for  the  interest  of  the  Irish  peo- 
ple. After  that,  my  Irish  friend  and  I  had  no  more  quarrels 
about  the  war. 

Think,  think,  the  lion  as  master,  the  bear  the  biggest 
power  of  all  the  world,  and  the  gallistion  rooster  that  was 
waiting  for  a  chance  of  revenge  and  others  that  were  lured 
into  the  war,  depended  on  the  promise  of  the  master  lion 
for  big  reward,  aiding  in  the  plot  to  crush  the  most  civilized 
and  God-fearing  people  on  earth.  A  people  that  are  build- 
ing schools  and  churches  instead  of  prisons.  And  even 
Americans  are  aiding  the  plotters  of  this  war  for  big  gains 
of  this  evil  best  known  as  cash  where  every  dollar  that  is 
gained  in  this  is  covered  with  the  blood  of  Germany's  brave 
men  and  with  tears  from  the  widows.  You  with  that  blood 
money,  cries  from  children  will  always  ring  in  your  ears. 
The  sin,  the  shame,  the  weapons  that  you  are  manufacturing 
will  always  be  remembered.  You  may  boast  to  your  children 
and  your  children  can  say  to  their  children  that  it  was  you 
that  enriched  the  estate  of  yours  by  making  and  sending 
the  war  instruments  to  Europe  to  kill  off  the  Germans. 
You  are  as  cruel  and  wicked  as  the  hired  Camorra  of  Italy. 
But  all  the  gains  of  gold  will  melt  for  you  like  snow  in 
the  sun,  sooner  or  later  your  conscience  will  begin  to  trouble 
you.  You  will  worry  yourself  into  your  grave.  Don't  for- 
get the  riches  that  you  gain  by  such  action  will  be  a  burden 
to  you  and  in  some  way  or  other  you  will  loose  it  all  and 

35 


while  on  earth  wherever  you  go  the  civilized  world  will 
sneer  at  you.  Relax  your  neck  and  hang  your  head  in 
shame.  When  this  war  is  over  with  your  factories  will 
rest,  but  you  will  have  neither  rest  nor  peace,  and  when  you 
die  you  will  appear  at  the  gates  of  hell,  but  your  record  is 
the  Devil  will  send  you  back  to  earth  again  to  bring  your 
own  coal  for  your  own  burning,  because  the  Devil  knows 
you  are  too  mean  to  enjoy  peace  on  earth. 

Just  a  few  words  more  about  the  European  war,  and 
then  I'm  done.  You  have  read  the  Kaiser's  message  which 
should  convince  us  that  Germany  did  not  want  war;  but 
that  the  war  was  plotted  and  started  by  the  enemies  of 
Germany,  for  greed  and  revenge,  who  have  no  heart  nor 
conscience,  and  in  their  lust  for  wealth  and  power  they 
will  be  told  to  kneel  from  the  message  delivered  by  the 
eagle  who  will  tell  them.  It  must  make  peace  on  earth  and 
give  good  will  to  all  men,  and  this  message  will  also  say, 
Thou  must  refrain  from  criticising  the  action  of  others 
and  we  must  not  repeat  idle  gossip  and  set  in  judgment  of 
our  neighbor.  If  we  are  doing  those  things,  let  us  stop 
them,  just  refuse  to  think  or  utter  an  unkind  thought.  If 
we  would  all  be  thinking  right  and  good  there  would  then 
be  no  disturbance  of  the  peace  and  no  divorces. 

It  is  similar  to  that  in  preparing  horses'  feet,  and  select- 
ing proper  shoes  for  them;  if  ye  know  how,  there  would 
then  be  no  interference  with  the  free  circulation  of  the  blood 
that  flows  through  them.  If  horseshoers  would  be  com- 
pelled to  understand  the  science  of  shoeing  there  would  be 
no  more  lame  horses,  barring  accidents.  It  may  be  asked, 
is  all  lameness  coming  to  horses  in  their  feet?  Nay,  a 
horse  may  be  lame  above  the  foot,  but  seventy-five  out  of 
every  hundred  cases  of  lameness  is  caused  by  an  unbalanced 
or  diseased  foot.  When  the  foot  becomes  unbalanced  it  dis- 
arranges the  structures  above  and  while  a  horse  is  trying 
in  relieving  certain  structure  from  strain  or  pain,  he  is  over- 
taxing other  parts  because  his  weight  has  to  be  carried. 

36 


Then  it  may  be  asked,  what  is  the  cause  of  so  many  lame 
horses?  The  most  prolific  cause  is  unskillfull  shoeing. 
Men  are  often  lured  into  shops  through  fake  advertising 
where  blacksmiths  offer  to  shoe  at  a  bargain. 

Let  me  say  this  to  the  horse  loving  public,  you  ought 
to  realize  that  your  horseshoer  with  whom  you  have  been 
dealing  and  has  given  you  satisfaction  and  is  in  business  to 
stay  and  is  honest  with  you  because  you  are  paying  him  a 
fair  price.  He  is  not  just  shoeing  your  horses  for  what 
profit  he  gets  out  of  it,  he  tries  to  please  you,  to  satisfy 
you,  he  wants  to  keep  you  as  a  customer  and  you  can  well 
afford  to  pay  him  some  extra  for  mistakes  he  doesn't  make. 
Look  out  for  those  smiths  that  advertise  to  shoe  horses  for 
less  than  cost,  or  at  figures  much  below  the  price  of  true 
horse  shoers.  Such  horseshoers  belong  in  a  class  with  men 
that  sell  fake  articles.  Let  me  repeat,  look  out  for  him. 
But  I  know  some  people  don't  see  anything  but  this,  known 
as  the  Almighty  Dollar,  and,  I  would  much  rather  be  their 
pocket  book  than  their  horse,  because  they  take  better 
care  of  it.  They  are  too  stingy  to  say  the  Lord's  Prayer 
for  fear  the  Lord  would  have  forgotten  to  give  them  credit 
when  they  come  to  settle  up.  They  are  so  sharp  and  so 
cute  for  the  favor  you  wish  to  do  them,  they  rather  refuse 
in  hope  that  they  get  the  difference  in  cash.  Let  me  re- 
peat, as  to  horse  shoeing,  the  best  is  the  cheapest,  and  don't 
forget  that.  There  is  another  ailment  that  is  a  drawback  to 
horse,  shoeing,  that  is  horse  owners  often  have  some  cruel 
notions  and  dictate  to  the  shoer  how  he  wants  his  horse 
shod.  If  these  same  men  would  clean  their  horse's  feet 
every  evening  after  a  day's  work  instead  of  engineering  the 
shoeing,  that  would  be  of  some  benefit  for  both  men  and 
horse.  We  should  only  try  and  be  what  wre  are  able  to  be, 
and  don't  pretend  to  be  something  that  we  are  not.  En- 
gineering horseshoeing  without  knowing  what  it  means  to 
the  foot  or  the  part  above  is  an  everlasting  damage  to  the 
horse,  for  that  same  man  could  probably  not  describe  the 

37 


location  of  the  coffin  bone  or  what  it  is  there  for.  I  often 
wonder  why  this  United  States  has  not  got  laws  like 
they  have  in  Germany,  where  the  horseshoer  has  to  pass  an 
examination  before  he  can  operate  a  shoeing  business,  and 
when  he  is  successful  he  is  then  registered  and  pays  a  li- 
cense for  running  it.  In  Germany  a  Master  Horseshoer 
is  highly  respected  for  the  merits  of  his  labor.  Here,  Aber 
Lieber  Fater,  but  dear  Lord,  a  tramp  can  run  out  of  a  corn 
field  and  start  a  horseshoeing  business.  His  plans  are  gen- 
erally made  to  just  stay  through  the  winter.  He  makes 
the  prices  as  low  as  he  is  himself.  After  a  short  stay, 
when  the  grass  gets  green,  he  gets  the  wander  lust  in  his 
head.  The  forge  and  fire  is  getting  too  hot  for  him,  of 
which  he  knows  very  little.  When  he  meets  another  trav- 
eler, they  two  lay  around  together  under  some  convenient 
shade  tree,  perhaps  reading  old  musty  books  and  this 
would  be  horse  shoer  tells  his  companion  how  he  was  fool- 
ing and  bleeding  the  people  during  the  winter ;  he  tells 
him  how  he  got  in  with  the  barn  men  or  men  that  have 
horses  in  charge,  for  just  a  small  bribe,  or  he  goes  out  and 
begs  to  gei  ?.  horse  to  shoe.  I  don't  know  which  is  the 
worse,  begging  or  bribing.  Of  course,  begging  is  more  on 
the  cheap  order,  but  he  who  begs  has  no  pride,  only  a  selfish 
desire.  Just  now,  while  I  am  writing  about  this  would-be 
horseshoer,  I'm  going  to  tell  of  an  incident  that  happened 
here  in  Santa  Ana.  I  am  shoeing  the  horses  for  the  Union 
Oil  Company.  Most  of  the  shops  know  what  I  am  getting 
for  shoeing.  They  also  know  that  I  am  getting  just  what 
I  charge,  $2.50  a  horse.  And  one  solicitor  in  this  town 
went  and  told  the  company  that  he  could  save  them  money 
and  would  shoe  their  horses  for  $1.50,  but  the  thoughtful 
manager  politely  told  him  that  the  company's  business  was 
running  smooth  and  was  making  both  ends  meet,  and  that 
their  horses  were  all  going  good,  but  if  they  should  need 
his  advice  regarding  how  to  cut  down  expense  and  save 
money,  they  would  come  and  ask  him,  and,  added  the 


manager,  it  is  the  company's  experience  that  the  best  is 
the  cheapest,  and  we  mean  to  let  live  as  well  as  live,  but 
said  this  solicitor,  Louis  don't  work  on  Saturday  afternoon. 
I  will  shoe  your  horses  any  old  time  that  you  want  them 
shod.  Yes,  said  the  manager,  Louis  told  us  that  when  we 
turned  the  horses  over  to  him,  that  he  was  not  working  on 
Saturday  afternoons,  and  we  always  try  and  arrange  ac- 
cordingly, but  when  we  get  in  a  pinch  he  is  always  ready 
and  glad  to  help  us,  Saturday  or  no  Saturday.  And  I  am 
still  shoeing  the  Union  Oil  horses,  in  spite  of  their  knowl- 
edge of  cheap  shoeing.  But  this  is  not  the  only  country 
where  horses'  feet  are  ironed  off  just  for  the  sake  of  doing 
it,  and  to  get  some  other  shop  on  the  standstill. 

As  it  happened  in  December,  1914,  a  stranger  came  in 
my  shop  as  I  was  working  at  the  forge,  he  was  looking  on ; 
I  then  asked  him  if  he  was  working  at  this  trade.  He 
answered  in  the  negative,  but,  said  he,  I  have  lots  of  horses 
shod  in  the  East.  I  then  asked  him,  What  part  of  the  East 
are  you  from?  He  said,  I  am  from  Michigan.  Just  then 
a  coal  dealer  brought  me  a  supply  of  coal.  As  it  came  in 
sacks,  he  asked,  What  do  you  have  to  pay  for  coal  here? 
I  told  him  $22.00  a  ton.  It  surprised  him,  and,  said  he, 
In  Detroit  they  get  coal  delivered  in  the  shops  for  $6.00, 
or  less.  Yes,  said  I,  but  in  this  country  they  get  $1.25 
for  shoeing  a  horse.  Well,  said  he,  that  is  what  we  have 
to  pay  in  Michigan.  Then,  said  I,  is  this  in  the  cities  or  the 
country  towns?  Well,  said  he,  right  in  Detroit.  I  really 
thought  in  the  East  where  all  horseshoers  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  belong  to  the  M.  H.  N.  P.  A.,  that  they  were  all 
getting  no  less  than  $2.00,  as  I  had  seen  this  many  times 
stated  in  the  Journal  and  to  me  it  always  looked  fair  and  an 
encouragment  for  an  organization,  but  I  have  come  to  think 
it  is  like  having  some  good  laws  that  are  not  en- 
forced. That's  the  way  it  often  is  with  things.  It  isn't 
all  gold  that  shines. 

As  before,   speaking    of  the    Union    Oil    Company's 

39 


horses,  let  me  say  this  for  the  company,  and  why  they  never 
have  any  lame  horses:  They  get  them  shod  every  four 
weeks,  they  always  allow  me  a  half  a  day  to  shoe  a  team, 
they  are  satisfied  whatever  kind  of  shoes  I  put  on  them.  If 
this  would  be  taken  as  an  example  by  other  concerns,  it 
would  benefit  the  horse  and  the  man  that  owns  him,  as  it 
extends  his  usefulness.  Experience  teaches  us  the  indi- 
vidual or  concerns  that  look  after  the  welfare  of  the  horse, 
in  seeing  to  it  that  his  right  is  respected,  are  always  safe 
to  deal  with.  We  can  judge  a  man  of  what  he  really 
is  on  the  inside  by  the  looks  of  his  horse  on  the  outside. 

But  the  horseshoer  who  is  only  in  business  as  a  schemer 
for  the  horse  owner,  he  is  dangerous  to  deal  with,  to  the 
craft  he  is  an  unfair  competition.  He  is  a  disgrace  to 
the  art  and  science  of  shoeing.  He  is  an  enemy  of  honesty 
and  resentful  of  lawless  cunning.  You  may  say,  this  kind  of 
talk  don't  enlighten  us  any  about  the  science  of  shoeing 
but  the  point  is  if  fake  horseshoers  can  be  prevented  from 
doing  business,  it  will  add  to  the  respect  and  science  of 
shoeing  and  a  good  way  to  stop  them  is  to  not  patronize 
them.  Every  state  in  the  Union  ought  to  make  a  law  that 
horseshoers  that  are  carrying  on  a  horseshoeing  business 
must  be  registered  and  pass  an  examination  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  horse  and  the  man  that  owns  him. 

I  hope  you  understand  it  better  now,  why  there  are 
so  many  lame  horses,  so  if  bad  shoeing  is  the  cause  of 
horses  going  lame,  then  good  shoeing  must  be  the  remedy. 
The  farmer  who  does  not  understand  and  does  not  care 
to  prepare  the  soil  properly  for  the  seed  he  sows,  cannot 
expect  to  reap  a  harvert.  So,  if  poor  farming  is  the  cause 
of  a  failure  of  a  crop,  on  the  same  soil,  good  farming  is  the 
remedy.  What  do  you  think  of  a  human  doctor,  if  you  were 
ill,  and  was  told  by  your  family  physician  that  you  needed 
an  operation,  and  that  the  charge  would  be  $100.00, — then 
if  a  strange  doctor  comes  along  and  tells  you  he  can  save 
you  $10.00  on  that  job,  you  very  likely  refuse  and  take  no 

40 


chances,  because  of  your  own  feelings.  But  for  fifty  cents, 
in  your  careless  way  you  rob  your  horse  of  proper  foot 
wear  to  which  he  is  entitled  for  comfort  and  endurance, 
and  down  in  your  own  heart  you  really  know  the  best  is 
the  cheapest,  which  your  horse  deserves  because  he  earns 
for  you  part  of  your  living,  or  you  find  pleasure  in  riding 
behind  him.  I  know  I  have  said  this  quite  often,  that  the 
law  should  protect  the  horse  against  ignorance  that  is  among 
men  that  are  shoeing  them,  but  like  other  things,  as  long 
as  it  is  the  truth,  truth  don't  grow  old.  Repeating  it  does 
not  make  it  old,  and  the  law  says,  how  can  you  horse- 
shoers  expect  to  be  protected  as  long  as  you  don't  demand, 
you  cannot  obtain  and,  the  law  is  right.  You  know,  too,  we 
cannot  even  catch  a  street  car  if  we  don't  try.  But  a  few 
individuals  cannot  expect  to  have  any  influence  in  legis- 
lation. If  horseshoers  would  all  be  organized  and  then 
prepare  a  demand,  legislation  will  respect  and  protect  this, 
important  branch  of  industry,  so  it  is  up  to  the  horse- 
shoers. If  horseshoers  would  be  like  a  united  nation  the 
result  would  be  better  conditions,  better  shoeing  and  pro- 
tection. In  speaking  of  the  necessity  of  being  organized, 
what  would  a  large  army  amount  to  if  it  was  not  organized 
and  had  no  leader?  An  organized  army  of  much  smaller 
size  would  crumble  it  and  scatter  it  to  all  four  corners 
of  the  globe.  So  be  organized  and  be  like  one,  and  the 
future  success  for  the  horse  and  the  men  that  shoes  him 
is  bright  indeed.  Let  such  organization  be  for  purely  edu- 
cational purposes.  If  we  will  try  and  educate  ourselves 
first,  so  that  we  can  educate  others,  then  results  for  horse- 
shoeing will  be  such  that  we  needn't  care. 

Speaking  of  education  to  improve  horseshoeing:  But 
how  shall  we  educate  horseshoers?  When  we  have  no 
teachers.  Well,  we  must  associate  together,  we  must 
learn  from  each  other.  A  splendid  way  is  as  the  Iowa  State 
Fair  management  adopted  in  1914.  Of  course  it  had  to  be 
Iowa  to  start  the  ball  rolling,  and  they  can  be  proud  of  it 

41 


I  am  glad,  because  it  is  my  native  state  and  a  state  where 
a  horse  will  never  be  forgotten.  I  think  it  was  called  a 
Horseshoers'  Contest.  Such  contests  should  be  held  in 
every  state  and  county  fair.  And  judge  by  the  more  ad- 
vanced horseshoers,  such  contests  should  not  only  be  for 
the  purpose  of  trying  to  see  how  fast  and  good  one  can  shoe 
a  horse,  but  lame  horses  of  all  kinds  should  be  brought  to 
such  places  so  that  the  best  remedy  can  be  adopted.  Such 
lessons  would  be  spread  in  all  directions  of  the  county  and 
a  judge  or  judges  may  then  assist  the  competitors  and 
argue  the  points,  until  it  is  understood  and  agreed,  and 
then  test  it  and  see  what  is  really  best.  You  see  you  got 
to  exercise  your  brain  by  making  it  work  at  new  ideas 
and  you  can  only  do  that  by  getting  other  men's  thoughts. 
Such  lessons  would  be  a  credit  to  the  country  and  a  benefit 
to  the  horse.  Even  if  all  horseshoers  do  not  take  part, 
there  would  be  many  bystanders  listening  and  watching 
and  they  would  be  well  repaid  for  the  time  spent.  To  the 
Fair  Associations,  please  consider  this  and  put  it  in  your 
next  program.  The  expense  of  it  is  the  best  money  that 
you  can  pay  out  for  fair  expenses.  Listen,  if  it  was  your 
choice  to  send  your  children  to  school,  or  keep  them  out, 
we  know  your  answer,  and  in  five  years  from  now  you 
would  be  wondering  how  neglectful  and  careless  you  would 
have  been  if  you  had  not  started  this  valuable  plan.  But 
don't  figure  on  getting  this  started  without  expense.  The 
county  should  pay  for  it  as  it  is  a  benefit  to  them.  And  to 
your  satisfaction  you  will  be  convinced  how  valuable  a 
horseshoer  is  that  has  the  ability  to  preside  as  a  judge  and 
master  all  of  the  branches  of  shoeing  as  they  come  to  him. 
There  may  be  some  disappointment,  take  it  all  through 
the  country.  Such  horseshoers,  they  are  like  bantam  roost- 
ers and  flying  fish,  rather  scarce.  Let  me  repeat  in  appeal  to 
you,  let  your  Fair  Associations  get  this  started.  It  will 
prevent  sin  and  pain.  Much  more  could  be  said  about  this, 
but  I  guess  I  said  enough. 

42 


As  we  are  now  in  the  dawning  of  a  more  advanced  and 
brighter  day,  horseshoeing  should  be  recognized  as  of  more 
than  common  importance,  and  great  is  the  benefit  from  such 
recognition.  The  poor  cart  horse  that  drudges  on  stony  pave- 
ments through  each  recurring  day  of  his  life,  as  well  as 
the  high  bred  courser  that  minimizes  time  and  surpasses 
the  graceful  fawn  in  the  majesty  and  poetry  of  his  mo- 
tion, both  will  share  in  the  good  results. 

Men  who  are  engaged  in  the  horseshoeing  business 
should  begin  to  understand  not  only  the  motive  power  of 
the  horse  but  also  the  art  of  paring  the  foot  so  as  to  adjust 
it  to  the  proper  angle  of  the  limb  it  supports.  In  order  to 
excel  in  the  subtle  art  of  horseshoeing,  thoroughness  in  all 
the  intricate  details,  which  pertain  to  the  business,  is  indis- 
pensible  and  one  should  strive  to  be  master  of  his  calling. 
In  order  to  be  thus  equipped,  he  should  have  resource  to 
every  storehouse  of  wisdom  within  the  reach,  never  for- 
getting for  a  moment  the  results  of  his  own  experience. 

Men  have  grown  both  rich  and  great  by  patient  re- 
search and  unremitting  toil  in  the  little  things  of  life.  Few 
arts  are  so  perfect  that  they  need  not  be  disturbed  and  in 
the  alembic  of  some  human  mind  there  may  be  undeveloped 
thoughts,  which  when  applied  will  add  new  luster  and  utility 
to  that  which  long  has  been  regarded  as  perfect.  It  is 
well  with  the  professional  horseshoer,  if  he  is  what  we  call 
a  born  mechanic,  able  to  know  from  a  mechanical  stand- 
point not  only  how  to  work  but  where  to  work  and  why 
such  work  when  done  should  balance  a  horse,  also  that 
such  knowledge  is  based  on  scientific  principles  and  that 
scientific  remedies  only  should  be  applied. 

Perhaps  some  do  know  it  has  long  been  my  plea 
that  the  horse's  right  be  respected  and  I  intend  to  continue 
it,  whether  I  accomplish  much  or  little,  I  will  at  least  have 
done  my  duty.  As  a  horseshoer,  I  think  I  have  been  fair- 
ly successful.  It  is  not  my  desire  to  toot  my  own  horn, 
but  I  have  the  honor  and  take  pleasure  in  presenting  here- 

43 


with  what  others  say  regarding  me.  The  following  letters 
were  published  in  the  horse  papers  as  named :  Spirit  of  the 
West,  Des  Moines,  Iowa, — In  the  last  issue  of  the  Spirit 
of  the  West,  I  notice  an  item  saying  that  good  feet  are 
the  foundation  of  the  horse.  This  reminds  me  of  the 
first  time  I  met  Mr.  Louis  Petersen,  of  Sheldon,  Iowa,  who 
I  had  come  to  my  barn  to  look  over  my  horse's  feet,  and, 
said  Mr.  Petersen,  your  horse's  feet  are  in  fair  condition, 
but  should  be  improved  in  form.  The  next  time  I  had 
Mr.  Petersen  shoe  my  horses.  When  I  saw  him  prepare 
the  feet,  make  and  fit  shoes  for  them,  I  made  up  my  mind 
that  he  knew  more  about  horses'  feet  and  the  way  they 
should  be  shod  than  the  average  dictator,  and  from  that 
day  on,  for  the  past  ten  years  he  has  been  my  shoer.  While 
I  have  always  appreciated  his  work,  but  now  only  mention 
his  skill  as  a  scientific  horseshoer  when  we  cannot  get 
him,  as  he  has  moved  to  the  Pacific  Coast.  If  I  should  go 
on  and  give  the  history  of  his  success  and  tell  half  of  what 
he  has  done  in  the  way  of  shoeing  lame  and  unsound  horses, 
and  aiding  the  speedy  ones  to  speed  faster,  it  would  take  a 
whole  page  of  your  paper,  but  1  do 'not  hesitate  in  saying, 
that  his  equal,  as  a  scientific  horseshoer,  I  do  not  believe 
is  in  existence.  I  have  always  been  well  paid  for  the  many 
trips  of  twenty-five  miles  drive  to  his  place  of  business.  We 
do  not  appreciate  the  service  of  such  men  until  they  leave 
us.  In  saying  this,  I  feel  sure  that  I  voice  the  sentiment  of 
all  good  horse  men  here  in  the  Northwest. 

DENNIS  SCANLAN, 
Rock  Valley,  Iowa,  April  17,  1907. 

Here,  I  wish  to  say  a  few  words  regarding  Mr.- 
Scanlan,  who  always  had  a  crop  of  youngsters  from  a  high 
bred  mare  that  he  kept  for  breeding  purposes  and  crossed 
her  with  good  horses,  as  to  his  own  judgment.  He  al- 
ways broke  and  drove  his  own  colts.  And  when  they  got 
two  or  three  years  old,  they  could  all  step  some,  and  when 

44 


they  commenced  to  look  like  a  gold  mine  and  somewhat 
talked  about  among  horsemen,  Mr.  Scanlan  would  always 
sell  them  for  a  reasonable  offer.  The  colts  were  all  clean 
gaited,  as  he  always  kept  the  colt's  feet  of  proper  size  and 
level  from  three  months'  of  age.  They  were  all  strong  go- 
ing. They  all  looked  very  prosperous.  It  seemed  it  was 
the  way  he  developed  them.  He  would  never  drive  a  colt 
to  a  break,  neither  would  he  speed  them  long  distances  to 
make  them  tired,  to  discourage  them.  They  got  most  all 
of  their  exercise  on  the  road  and  when  they  came  to  the 
track  they  enjoyed  the  smooth  footing,  and  at  times  it 
looked  as  if  they  would  run  away  on  a  trot.  They  could 
always  do  a  little  more  than  what  they  had  reputation  for. 
Then  when  a  prospect  buyer  came,  sales  were  made  easy 
and  quick,  and  in  that  way  Mr.  Scanlon  never  owned  a  race 
horse.  I  remember,  I  was  called  to  his  home  place  to  shoe 
a  three-year-old,  and,  as  he  remarked  to  me :  There  is  some 
one  here  who  wants  to  see  the  colt  step  this  afternoon,  and, 
I  wonder  if  it  would  be  better  to  let  the  shoeing 
go  till  after  I  have  shown  the  colt,  as  he  is  going  very  good 
as  he  is.  I  might  have  left  them  as  they  were,  but  the 
shoes  had  worn  so  thin  that  they  were  not  safe  to  start 
with.  Just  after  I  had  the  feet  ready  for  the  new  shoes, 
it  commenced  to  rain,  but  it  was  only  a  shower.  However, 
it  made  the  track  a  little  slippery,  and  as  it  happened  I  made 
the  hind  shoes  a  little  different,  the  same  as  I  would  shoe  all 
speedy  horses,  from  what  I  had  been  shoeing  him  with. 
I  had  forged  the  toe  of  the  hind  shoes  in  a  spoon  shaped 
form.  That  kind  of  a  toe  gives  a  horse  a  sure  grip  for 
propelling.  Such  a  toe  keeps  always  clean,  and,  making  the 
other  part  of  the  shoe  half  round,  the  feet  do  not  fill  with 
anything  that  interferes  with  a  horse's  balance  or  his  speed. 
As  I  showed  them  to  Mr.  Scanlan,  he  said,  I  don't  know 
how  they  will  suit  the  colt,  but  I  like  them.  This  is  true. 
A  change  in  shoes  is  all  right  at  any  time,  when  we  know  the 
change  is  an  improvement.  And  while  the  track  was  slip- 

45 


pery,  or  at  least  in  spots,  instead  of  using  nails  to  fit  the 
counter  sunk  in  the  shoe,  I  used  nails  with  a  larger  head, 
so  they  projected  a  litte  above  the  shoe.  That  way  the 
slippery  footing  had  no  effect  on  the  colt's  going,  and  the 
result  was  the  colt  went  two  seconds  faster  in  that  half 
mile  than  he  had  ever  gone  before,  in  spite  of  the  unfavor- 
able footing,  which  everyone  could  see  and  were  some- 
what surprised  how  the  colt  kept  his  feet.  Now,  it  was  not 
the  shoes  that  made  the  colt  go  so  much  faster.  The  colt 
had  that  much  speed  and  the  shoes  did  not  interfere  with  his 
speed.  If  at  any  time  a  shower  should  fall  between  heats, 
I  advise  to  stick  in  four  or  five  nails  in  each  shoe  with  the 
heads  projecting.  It  does  not  interfere  with  speed.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  gives  the  horse  confidence  in  landing  and  helps 
in  flexing.  After  that  half  mile,  Mr.  Scanlan,  like  the  colt, 
was  quite  well  sprinkled  with  mud.  Then,  said  Mr.  Scanlan 
to  the  prospective  buyer  who  had  been  in  the  grand  stand 
with  friends.  How  does  the  colt  look  to  you  ?  And,  said  the 
buyer,  I  told  my  friends  when  you  came  on  the  home  stretch, 
that  I  would  give  $500.00  for  him.  Then,  said  Mr.  Scanlan, 
if  you  will,  you  bought  the  colt.  And  that  was  all  there  was 
to  it.  Mr.  Scanlan  was  told  later  that  he  ought  to  have 
gotten  a  thousand  dollars  for  him.  Well,  said  Mr.  Scanlan, 
it  is  always  good  principle  to  live  and  let  live,  and  said  this 
gentleman  may  have  to  spend  another  five  hundred  before 
he  can  win  a  race.  I  have  had  pleasure  in  driving  him,  and 
five  hundred  dollars  will  pay  all  the  colt's  expense.  And 
Mr.  Scanlan  added,  whenever  we  can  have  a  good  time  and 
get  paid  for  it,  then  its  best  to  be  satisfied.  You  see,  most 
of  the  time  it  is  otherwise,  whenever  we  want  to  enjoy  our- 
self  most  generally  we  must  pay  for  it.  It  pays  not  to  be 
selfish.  After  the  deal  was  finished,  Mr.  Scanlan  and  I 
went  back  to  the  barn.  He  said  to  me,  for  the  first  time  in 
all  my  experience,  I  was  thinking  about  those  nail  heads 
while  driving,  and  how  did  you  ever  think  of  letting  the  nail 
heads  stick  out ;  I  see  it  now  plain,  the  colt  would  never 

46 


have  stayed  on  his  feet  without  them.  Well,  sail  I,  we 
can  all  think  of  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time  if  we 
don't  stock  our  brains  with  a  lot  of  stuff  that  is  not  true. 
Men  try  to  do  so  many  things  that  they  don't  know  any- 
thing about.  Then,  said  Mr.  Scanlan,  every  time  I  struck 
a  wet  place,  I  thought  "now,  it's  all  oft,"  but  it  seemed  that 
he  went  all  the  faster.  Yes,  said  I,  I  was  extremely  well 
pleased  in  the  way  you  finished,  that  you  did  not  drive 
him  under  the  wire  with  the  whip.  It  made  so  much  better 
showing,  and  it  looked  as  if  you  were  holding  him  back.  It 
was  not  quite  so  excitable,  but  it  was  much  more  sensible, 
and  I  believe,  Dennis,  you  could  have  been  a  race  horse 
driver  as  well  as  a  real  estate  dealer,  but  I  know  you  will 
stay  with  the  latter. 

As  I  started  for  my  train,  Mr.  Scanlan  handed  me 
something,  and  said,  take  this  for  your  careiare.  I  thanked 
him  and  went  in  the  car,  and  when  the  conductor  came  to 
collect  fare,  I  took  this  token  that  Mr.  Scanlan  had  placed 
in  an  envelope,  and  found,  respectively,  one  ten  and  two 
twenty  dollar  bills.  And  the  conductor,  whose  name  was 
Charles  Foote,  said :  Don't  spring  any  bills  on  me.  Well, 
said  I,  I  got  this  from  Mr.  Scanlan,  to  pay  my  carfare. 
Then  said  Conductor  Foote,  Mr.  Scanlan  must  have 
thought  you  were  going  to  New  York.  No,  said  I,  I 
shod  a  colt  for  him  and  that's  what  I  got  for  it.  Well, 
said  Mr.  Foote,  keep  it  and  I'l  pay  your  car  fare,  and  he 
tore 'a  coupon  from  his  account  book  and  handed  it  to  me 
with  a  smile.  He,  like  Mr.  Scanlan,  likes  to  see  others 
happy. 

Here  is  another  letter  that  was  published  in  the  Chicago 
Horse  Review,  in  the  Christmas  Number,  1899,  from  Mr. 
A.  H.  Von  Wickerwood  Cfommerling,  of  Heemsteade, 
Holland.  I  copy  part  of  this  letter,  as  he  describes  the 
breeding  and  names  of  his  horses,  etc.  He,  in  part,  says : 
Concurrent,  Cyclone  and  Controleur  won  respectively  the 
most  honorable  trotting  prizes  of  the  year  in  Holland. 

47 


Concurrent,  the  winner  of  the  Dutch  Derby,  is  a  very  diffi- 
cult driver,  high  strung,  high  kicking,  and  I  had  a  great 
deal  of  trouble  getting  him  balanced.  At  last  I  got  him  to 
going  all  right,  trotting  square,  without  any  breaks  on 
American  shoes  made  by  Mr.  Louis  Petersen,  of  Sheldon, 
Iowa,  U.  S.  A.,  which  helped  me  a  great  deal  in 
winning  the  prizes  as  I  drive  all  my  horses  in  a  Frazier 
sulky,  I  think  you  will  agree  with  me  that  my  turnout 
must  look  rather  American. 

Mr.  Crommerling  in  February,  1899,  describing  to  me 
the  horse's  way  of  going  and  his  troubles,  I  then  asked  hip* 
about  the  footing  that  the  horses  traveled  over,  and  a 
few  other  questions,  and  to  send  me  the  size  of  the  horses 
feet,  and  that  I  would  design  shoes  for  them.  He  did  so. 
This  horse,  Concurrent,  the  winner  of  the  Dutch  Derby, 
he  explained  to  me  that  he  had  an  abnormal  long  stride 
and  that  he  had  a  lot  of  speed,  but  would  get  mixed  up 
because  he  could  not  gather  quick  enough  in  front;  then 
he  would  get  kind  of  mad  and  get  to  kicking.  Now,  this 
horse  had  in  front  a  low,  long  stride,  and  behind,  lots  of 
hook  action.  I  made  the  front  shoe's  14  ounces  in  weight, 
thin  at  heels  and  toe,  in  a  sort  of  rocker  fashion,  as  Mr. 
Crommerling  told  me  the  footing  was  rather  soft  or  loose. 
I  left  the  web  in  the  center  of  the  shoe  wide  and  thicker 
than  either  heel  or  toe.  In  this  way  he  could  contain  his 
stride,  but  the  motion  was  quickened  because  there  was 
nothing  to  impede  his  landing  and  flexing.  The  hind  shoes 
I  made  five  ounces  with  a  bar  across  the  branches  of  the 
heel  to  strengthen  the  shoes  as  the  feet  were  rather  large 
and  turned  a  calk  at  each  branch  of  the  heels.  This  has 
a  tendency  to  reduce  hock  action  and  prevent  slipping  and 
results  of  advice  and  shoes  was  as  Mr.  Crommerling  report- 
ed in  The  Review. 

Now  I  did  not  know  Mr.  Crommerling,  because  I  have 
never  been  in  Holland.  My  native  country  is  Germany,  and 
after  four  years  of  apprenticeship  I  went  to  Denmark.  I 

48 


worked  six  months  in  that  country.  There  the  horseshoe- 
ing and  tools  were  the  same  as  in  Germany,  and  working 
hours  the  same,  fourteen  hours  a  day,  and  shoes  were  made 
out  of  old  shoes.  I  left  Denmark  on  a  steamer  to  France, 
landed  at  Calais. 

I  know  the  feeling  between  Germans  and  French  at 
that  time  was  not  the  very  best,  in  1878,  and  I  don't  know 
whether  it  is  any  better  at  present.  You  see  this  is  April 
6th,  1915.  But,  anyway,  I  got  a  job  in  a  shoeing  shop. 
This  shop  was  shoeing  most  all  heavy  horses.  Of  course, 
hard  work  did  not  bother  me,  for  that  I  was  used  to.  In 
Calias  the  shoes  were  made  different,  they  were  made  out 
of  stock  to  suit  the  weight  of  the  shoe.  It  was  in  France 
for  the  first  time  that  I  saw  shoes  without  crease,  and  the 
big  horses  were  shod  with  plain  shoes  in  front.  Those 
large  horses  did  the  work  of  a  steam  engine.  They 
switched  the  freight  car  from  the  Ship  Street  where  the 
ships  were  unloaded,  into  railroad  cars.  The  cars  were 
then  pulled  to  the  railroad  freight  depot  by  one  or  two 
horses.  These  horses  were  trained  for  that  like  the  best 
fire  horses  in  this  country.  Two  horses  woald  be  hitched  to 
a  full  car,  one  ahead  of  the  other.  As  soon  as  the  car  was 
started,  then  by  a  certain  signal,  from  the  brakeman,  the 
leader  would  jump  sideways.  At  the  same  time,  the  single- 
tree would  come  unfastened.  Then  after  he  was  clear  from 
the  track,  he  would  stand  there  until  some  one  lead  him 
away  for  the  next  pull.  Most  all  of  the  heavy  horses 
were  gray  and  white.  A  few  things  I  like  better  in  France 
than  in  Germany :  In  Calias,  we  only  had  to  work  thirteen 
hours  a  day,  while  in  Germany  fourteen.  Wages  were 
about  the  same,  something  like  $2.50  to  $3.00  a  week.  In 
all  the  different  countries  that  I  have  been,  in  Europe,  the 
men  that  brings  the  horse,  holds  the  foot  for  the  shoer.  In 
those  countries  that  I  worked  in,  in  Europe,  I  like  the 
French  ways  of  shoeing  the  best,  but,  however,  I  think 
there  is  no  horseshoer  anywhere  that  I  know  of  that  equals 

49 


the  American  expert  sheer,  but  in  America  there  are  too 
many  pretend  to  be  horseshoers,  and  that  knocks  the  beauty 
all  out  of  it.  There  is  no  organization  that  I  know  of  that 
interferes  with  the  fake  horseshoer.  Here,  they  look  more 
after  a  dollar  than  they  look  after  either  man  or  beast. 
All  the  protection  you  get  from  being  a  member  of  the 
organization  amounts  to  nothing.  Many  organizations 
should  improve  their  conditions,  instead  of  trying 
to  get  more  members.  In  making  rules  it  should 
all  be  well  considered,  so  that  they  can  be  fulfilled  with 
both  pleasure  and  profit,  and  always  consider  the  customer 
so  that  he  is  not  cut  out  of  accommodation.  When  in  the  Old 
Country,  I  never  saw  a  harness  race-horse;  until  I  came  to 
this  country,  I  never  heard  of  a  pacing  gait.  I  don't 
think  there  are  any  pacers  in  Europe. 

For  fast  going,  it  is  either  a  trotter  or  a  runner.  While 
I  never  shod  any  of  that  kind,  maybe  it  was  because  I  had 
only  worked  at  it  five  or  six  years. 

I  came  to  this  country  in  1880,  and  for  the  first  time 
used  machine-made  shoes  and  nails.  That  made  work 
easy;  aside  from  that,  there  were  shorter  hours  here,  better 
wages,  too.  Tell  me,  who  wouldn't  like  America  ? 

As  I  said  before,  scientific  shoeing  will  prevent  sin  and 
pain.  As  it  is  now,  there  is  too  much  experimenting  done 
in  horseshoeing.  For  instance,  a  horse  may  stumble  from 
his  feet  being  long;  he  may  stumble  and  fall  from  his  feet 
being  short.  The  secret  is  to  know  at  what  angle  to  pare 
the  feet  to  suit  the  bearings  above,  to  prevent  friction,  and, 
consequently,  stumbling,  everything  else  being  normal. 
Now,  do  not  misunderstand  me,  that  I  am  writing  for  profit 
or  revenge,  even  if  it  appears  to  you  that  there  are  some 
sweeping  remarks,  if  I  have  said  things  that  are  distasteful, 
it  is,  nevertheless,  kindly  meant.  I  am  writing  in  hope  that 
it  may  be  of  benefit  to  the  horse  and  the  man  that  owns  him ; 
while  I  am  helping  you  I  am  helping  myself  also,  as  I  am 
writing  this  little  book  to  sell  and  to  get  enough  out  of  it  to 

50 


pay  expenses:  You  get  the  benefit  of 'my  experiences  free 
of  charge. 

Writing  a  little  book  like  this  with  my  feeble  knowl- 
edge of  the  American  language  is  not  an  easy  task,  and, 
especially  when  you  work  all  day  with  hammer  and  tongs, 
then  change  off  to  pen  and  ink,  you  also  have  to  change 
your  whole  thoughts.  To  make  this  little  book  read  inter- 
esting, one  must  bring  out  new  thoughts,  and  they  must 
come  from  facts,  as  I  am  trying  to  avoid  criticism,  for  when 
it  is  printed,  there  is  no  way  of  changing  it.  It  is  like  get- 
ting your  picture  taken :  When  the  instrument  commences 
to  click,  the  picture  must  remain,  good  or  bad.  In  part, 
why  I'm  writing  this  is  because  I  am  lonesome,  and  so  I 
have  priced  the  book  that  no  good  thinking  men  or  women 
should  be  without  it.  It  is  not  only  good  for  those  who 
shoe  horses;  it  is  equally  as  valuable  for  those  who  own 
horses.  It  should  be  read  with  interest  and  benefit  for  mar- 
ried people,  as  well  as  those  who  are  not  married.  I  hope  I 
have  done  no  injustice,  either  to  myself  or  the  purchasers 
who  may  read  it.  Don't  you  know  a  lonesome  person  can 
get  so  hungry  for  a  loving  word  from  those  he  thinks  of 
most,  that  we  may  talk  to  ourselves  and  smile  at  the  same 
time.  Make  it  answer  as  a  sort  of  substitute.  Most  every- 
body has  a  desire  to  do  something  after  working  hours,  and 
for  me  to  pass  away  my  lonely  hours,  I  desire  to  tell  you 
about  my  forty  years'  experience  and  learning  of  horseshoe- 
ing, 'etc.,  as  I  am  beginning  to  think  that  I  understand  at 
least  part  of  it  pretty  well,  but  I  know  also  I  may  not  last 
much  longer,  because  the  hinges  in  my  anatomy  are  getting 
kind  of  rusty  and  I  am  getting  a  little  nervous  about  shoeing 
a  nervous  horse,  and  two  nervous  creatures  don't  get  along 
together  very  well,  as  I  am  easily  excited.  Somehow  luck 
has  been  with  me,  as  I  have  never  been  hurt  by  a  horse  that 
caused  a  lay-up,  and  so  I  am  still  enjoying  the  work  and  all 
by  myself. 

As  said  before,  married  people  should  try  and  under- 

51 


stand  each  other,  study  each  other  and  thereby  keep  love  in 
circulation  like  a  horseshoer  should  understand  the  science 
of  shoeing.  I  know  it  is  a  heart-breaking  job  to  under- 
stand and  study  the  anatomy  of  a  horse's  foot.  Do  not 
think  that  the  foot  is  only  like  a  block  of  wood,  or  a  solid 
mass  of  horn.  Suppose  you  take  a  look  at  the  inside  of  a 
phonograph,  how  wonderfully  it  is  constructed,  or  take  the 
works  of  a  valuable  watch,  but  all  these  wonders  pale  when 
it  comes  to  the  living  machinery  of  a  horse's  foot,  with  its 
bones,  joints,  laminaes,  velvety  tissues,  planter  cushion, 
horny  frog,  sold  and  wall,  tendons  and  ligaments  or  main 
springs  and  hair  springs,  so  to  speak,  etc.,  all  enclosed  in  an 
envelope  like.  To  study  and  understand  the  working  ap- 
paratus of  a  horse's  foot  it  is  similar  to  trying  to 
read  a  letter  in  an  enclosed  envelope.  Of  course, 
you  can  open  the  envelope  and  read  it,  you  have  been  to 
school  and  know  how,  and  that's  the  way  we  must  learn  to 
understand  the  anatomy  of  a  horse's  foot  and  a  part  above, 
both  in  health  and  disease.  You  have  to  take  a  foot  and 
limb  from  a  dead  horse,  remove  the  hide,  separate  the  parts 
and  boil  the  horny  hoof  from  the  internal  parts.  At  the  be- 
ginning to  understand  the  anatomy  and  functions  of  a 
horse's  foot,  where  there  aren't  any  schools  or  teachers,  is 
rather  a  slow  process  and  at  first  somewhat  disinteresting, 
and  very  few  think  anything  of  it.  It  is  like  somebody 
plants  a  tree,  nobody  pays  any  attention  until  it  has  grown 
to  some  degree  of  usefulness ;  then  when  its  branches  have 
spread  in  beauty,  and  we  sit  beneath  its  grateful  shade  we 
then  say  how  good  and  thoughtful  some  men  are.  The 
shade  of  such  trees  can  be  enjoyed  for  the  future  of  our 
life,  and  only  he  who  plants  a  tree  can  hope  to  enjoy  the 
shade  from  it,  and  only  he  who  studies  the  science  of  shoe- 
ing can  hope  to  understand  it  and  reap  reward  from  it. 
We  can  all  learn  it  if  we  want  to  learn  it  bad  enough.  We 
can  learn  anything  if  we  have  the  mental  capacity  to  do  so. 
It  depends  on  how  bad  we  want  to  learn,  or,  if  you  want  to 

52 


pay  a  blacksmith's  bill,  you  can  pay  it.  It  all  depends  on 
how  bad  you  want  to  pay  it,  but  we  must  not  only  wish  for 
a  thing,  we  must  work  for  it.  Let  me  prove  to  you  from 
what  I  have  said  as  to  myself  when  I  came  to  this  country 
from  Germany,  I  had  to  learn  the  new  language.  I  was 
then  twenty-five  years  of  age.  I  had  never  heard  or  saw  in 
print  the  American  language.  I  had  never  been  to  school 
and  have  never  had  anyone  teach  me,  but  I  was  bound  to 
learn  to  read  the  American  print.  I  have  labored  many 
nights,  have  gone  without  sleep  trying  to  accomplish  some- 
thing that  I  really  wanted,  and,  in  that  way,  I  have  learned 
to  read  and  write.  This  sort  of  a  self-education  is  as 
hard  to  get  as  it  is  to  understand  the  anatomy  and  function 
of  a  horse's  foot,  maybe  a  little  worse.  But  it  matters  not 
how  hard  it  is.  Intelligent  labor  is  a  pleasure  as  well  as 
profit,  because  reward  of  success  and  accomplishment  is 
gained  thereby.  If  we  don't  stop  to  learn,  we  will  always 
be  able  to  earn.  I  have  learned  enough  about  horseshoeing 
that  I  know  it  is  a  science,  and  I  want  to  say  right  here : 
Legislation  should  acknowledge  it  as  such.  Many  race 
horses  have  become  winners  after  properly  shoeing  them. 
There  is  speed  in  a  horseshoe  like  there  is  happiness  in  love, 
if  we  know  how  to  make  it.  A  horse's  stride  can  be  short- 
ened or  lengthened,  it  may  be  regulated  by  the  angle  of  the 
foot.  If  you  want  to  shorten  a  horse's  stride  and  you  can- 
not change  the  angle  of  the  foot  by  paring,  then  elevate  the 
heel  by  placing  a  wedge  of  leather  between  shoe  and  foot. 
Secure  the  leather  with  a  rivet  to  the  branches  of  the  heel. 

There  are  race  horses,  their  strides  in  front  are  too 
long  because  of  an  excessive  development  of  the  extensor 
tendon.  At  times,  it  makes  a  horse  look  as  if  he  was  labor- 
ing and  makes  hard  work  for  him :  If  you  want  to  length- 
en a  horse's  stride,  and  if  the  feet  are  at  the  right  angle,  let 
the  feet  be  as  they  are ;  use  an  even  plain  shoe,  then  put  on 
an  adjustable  toe  weight.  The  toe  weight  will  cultivate  the 
extensor  tendon  and  muscles,  and  in  time  will  produce  a 

53 


stride  as  desired.  Toe  weights  should  be  used  in  all  jog- 
ging, as  well  as  in  work-outs.  It  may  be  advisable  after  a 
horse  has  been  going  a  fast  mile  or  two  to  change  the  toe 
weights  from  five  ounces  to  three,  or  at  least  reduce  the 
weight.  Quickening  the  motion  can  be  accomplished  by 
the  shape  of  the  shoe.  The  shoe  should  be  so  constructed 
that  the  center  of  the  shoe  is  the  highest  part  on  the  ground 
bearing  surface  and  that  part  somewhat  wider  in  web,  and 
especially  where  the  footing  is  loose,  the  branches  of  the 
heels  should  be  thinner  and  the  toe  to  correspond.  The  ac- 
tion of  the  limbs  can  be  governed  by  the  weight  of  the  shoes. 
To  increase  action  the  shoe  should  be  heavier,  with  most  of 
the  weight  in  the  branches  of  the  heels,  and  the  toe  of  the 
shoe  should  fit  flush  around  the  toe  of  the  foot ;  have  the 
shoe  of  even  thickness  from  heel  to  toe.  If  there  is  an  ex- 
cess of  action,  that  it  may  cause  a  loss  of  motion,  the  shoe 
should  be  light  and  a  leather  rim,  or  felt,  should  be  placed 
between  shoe  and  foot.  It  will  deaden  the  blow  when  land- 
ing and  retard  action,  and  all  other  desirable  motions  can 
be  accomplished  by  preparing  the  foot  properly  for  the 
proper  shoe.  Wherever  the  footing  is  firm  and  level  for  a 
horse  to  travel,  lame  horses  can  be  made  to  go  sound  where 
they  are  curable — all  by  mechanical  treatment. 

So  you  see  a  shoe  on  a  horse's  foot  is  an  instrument  of 
either  too  good  advantage,  or  disadvantage.  Horse  owners 
should  take  no  chances  to  be  lured  into  shops  because  some 
smiths  make  it  appear  that  their  place  of  business  is  like  a 
bargain  counter.  Such  smiths  are  the  death  knell  to  the 
science  of  shoeing ;  they  are  poison  to  a  horse,  like  a  red  rag 
is  to  a  bull.  Iknow  this  may  not  sound  in  a  way  very 
refined,  but  I  can't  help  it.  I  get  a  little  excited  and  once  in 
a  while  make  a  break.  But  I  say  it  in  a  friendly  spirit,  and 
when  you  look  at  things  as  I  see  them,  I  know  you  will  par- 
don me.  It  is  up  to  you,  horse  owners,  to  help  along  good 
work  and  realize  that  the  best  of  us  are  none  too  good. 

A  true  horseshoer  studies   shoeing,   it  is   like  a  good 

54 


habit,  when  you  once  get  a  taste  of  it  and  understand  it,  it 
is  interesting,  and  where  there  is  pleasure  in  doing  a  thing, 
that  by  itself  is  a  profit.  For  instance,  I  have  said  I  am 
lonely,  and  I  am  passing  away  the  time  after  working  hours 
writing,  it  is  some  satisfaction  to  me  to  know  that  you  will 
read  this.  In  that  way,  I  break  my  silence  with  you  because 
my  heart  beats,  my  mind  thinks,  and,  understand  me,  there 
is  a  limit  to  this  mental  slavery,  but  when  I  know  you  are 
interested  in  reading  this  little  book,  I  will  feel  relieved. 

Take  married  life  as  a  science,  the  point  is  to  avoid 
breaking  the  first  thread  in  life  of  love.  I  am  sure  marriage 
can  be  a  heavenly  state  if  we  want  to  make  it  so.  But  the 
trouble  is  with  married  man,  they  always  have  or  make 
something  more  interesting  for  themselves  in  life  than  their 
wife,  whether  such  is  for  good  or  bad,  right  or  wrong,  and 
he  expects  that  his  concerns  shall  be  the  only  interest  of  his 
wife,  which  often  causes  dispute.  Failures  and  disappoint- 
ments are  the  results.  Man  must  make  a  change,  and,  so 
must  you.  It  is  like  shoeing  a  colt,  the  first  couple  of  shoe- 
ings  have  much  to  do  with  the  future  of  his  feet  and  his  be- 
having in  the  shop.  How  a  colt  ought  to  be  shod?  The 
shoe  should  be  plain.  Shoes  made  out  of  half  round  stock 
are  quite  suitable.  The  feet  should  not  be  burned,  not  only 
it  isn't  good  for  the  foot,  but  the  smoke  from  the  hot 
shoe  may  also  scare  the  colt,  and  if  we  don't  use  any  clips 
we  don't  have  to  burn  them  to  the  foot  to  fit.  Clips  may  be 
necessary  some  time  and  can  be  used  without  injuring  the 
foot,  if  they  are  fitted  with  care,  and  you  understand 
the  use  and  abuse  of  it.  You  may  say  if  we  don't  use  clips, 
the  shoes  don't  stay  on  as  well.  This  sounds  reasonable, 
but  the  great  trouble  is,  we  hollow  the  feet  out  too  much 
and  don't  leave  a  proper  bearing  surface  for  the  shoe  to  rest 
on.  The  sole  part  next  the  wall  should  not  be  cut  out;  let 
the  shoe  rest  on  it  like  it  does  on  a  wall.  Only  at  times 
when  a  horse  has  been  neglected  and  his  feet  have  worn  to 
the  sensitive  part  of  the  sole,  a  shoe  must  then  be  concaved 


and  bear  weight  on  the  wall  only.  It  is  often  the  case  that 
the  outside  of  the  foot  is  worn  away  to  such  an  extent  that 
the  foot  cannot  be  reduced  to  a  level.  The  foot  must  then 
be  leveled  up  in  such  case  with  a  strip  of  leather,  for  the 
shoe  to  get  an  even  bearing  with  the  rest  of  the  foot.  Do 
not  try  to  reduce  the  sole  with  a  knife,  because  it  will  draw 
blood  and  the  horse  is  apt  to  go  lame.  In  such  case  it  is 
best  to  use  a  front  shoe  on  a  hind  foot.  In  speaking  of 
clips,  I  have  removed  quite  a  few  shoes  in  my  time  where 
lameness  was  caused  by  unskillfully  adjusting  them. 

Where  the  toes  of  the  feet  were  rotten  from  fever 
had  caused  separation  of  the  wall  and  sole. 
The  most  damage  done  with  clips  is  on  large  flat  feet  just 
where  they  are  most  necessary ;  they,  however,  can  be  used 
without  harm,  if  we  just  know  how,  but  if  we  would  save 
this  work  of  cutting  the  sole  so  that  the  shoe  has  more  of  a 
surface  to  rest  on.  Six  or  eight  nails  and  without  a  clip 
will  hold  a  well-fitted  shoe  on  a  good  foot,  and,  furthermore, 
cutting  the  horny  soles  and  rasping  the  outer  walls  causes 
a  dryness  of  the  foot,  but  it  is  an  old  custom  from  which 
we  ought  to  drift  away.  Those  habits  are  nothing  but 
wasteful  hobbies.  It  is  done,  I  think,  with  the  view  of 
beautifying  the  foot  to  please  the  eye.  Save  that  work,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  foot  and  horse.  It  is  like  in  married 
life,  if  an  unpleasant  act  occurs,  forget  it,  break  away  from 
the  habits  of  thinking  and  forgiving.  A  retentive  memory 
is  a  good  thing,  but  the  ability  to  forget  is  the  true  token  of 
greatness,  so  the  thing  to  do  is  to  forget.  Close  your  eyes 
to  little  things  and  love  your  wife  for  her  faults.  Men  and 
women  should  both  share  in  all  joys  and  sorrows,  and  you 
got  to  let  men  or  women  have  their  heads  once  in  a  while, 
put  that  into  your  noodles  and  don't  let  it  get  away  from 
you.  It  is  similar  to  that  of  shoeing  a  nervous  horse.  If 
we  know  how  to  read  a  horse's  disposition  and  control  our 
temper,  too.  A  nervous  horse,  when  he  wants  to  take  his 
foot,  while  shoeing  him,  generally  it  is  best  to  let  him  have 

56 


it,  instead  of  fighting  him  in  trying  to  hold  it.  Then,  when 
he  has  his  foot,  pet  "him,  talk  kindly  to  him,  he  understands 
words  of  encouragement.  In  doing  this,  he  gets  confidence 
in  men  and  soon  he  will  let  you  shoe  him  without  fear.  Fear 
in  horses  is  like  fear  in  men,  there  is  no  freedom  to  the  mind 
till  that  fear  is  destroyed,  and  so  it  is.  Men  are  like  horses 
and  to  get  along  with  them  best  you  got  to  let  them  have 
their  heads  once  in  a  while. 

Kindness  to  a  horse  works  the  same  as  kindness  to  a 
man,  you  know  how  it  feels  when  it  seems  as  though  very- 
body  is  down  on  you,  how  good  it  is  when  some  thoughtful 
friend  meets  you  with  a  cheery  greeting,  at  least  it  reminds 
one  that  he  still  belongs  to  the  circle  of  humanity,  or  have 
you  ever  noticed  a  horse  that  has  been  neglected  and  is  ex- 
hausted for  the  want  of  a  drink,  he  will  tell  you  in  his  mute, 
but  significant,  language  his  appreciation  when  you  water 
him,  for  your  kindness  to  him ;  but  some  people  always  tell 
how  sorry  they  are  for  an  unfortunate  friend  who  perhaps 
was  forced  to  go  to  the  County  Poor  Farm.  The  way  to  let 
people  know  how  sorry  you  really  are  is  for  you  to  dig  down 
in  your  jeans  for  some  cash,  that's  what  he  needs,  and  you 
are  relieved  at  once  of  this  sorry  feeling,  and  you  need  not 
waste  any  time  in  telling  about  it.  It  will  make  your  unfor- 
tunate friend  feel  happy.  Such  ailments  are  among 
horseshoers,  if  some  horseshoer  has  unfortunately  or  other- 
wise, blundered,  causing  the  horse  to  go  lame  and  this  horse 
happens  to  come  to  your  shop  and  you  discovered  and  no- 
ticed the  cause  of  it,  it  is  not  necessary  nor  good  for  you  to 
keep  talking  about  the  other  fellow's  mistake,  all  you  need  to 
do  is  to  make  a  change  and  correct  the  mistake.  The  im- 
provements you  make,  the  horse  will  speak  for  it,  and  you 
will  be  rewarded.  The  only  motive  of  right  living  is  to'  be 
right  in  thought  and  right  in  acts.  Cursed  be  the  traitorous 
slanderer  who  under  the  whip  of  envy  shows  ill-will  towards 
others.  In  the  eyes  of  the  public,  horseshoers  are  like  toys 
that  are  moved  about  by  little  children,  because  we  do  not 

57 


move  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  Children  are  always  as- 
sisted in  some  way  to  remind  them  of  what  they  are  in- 
structed to  do,  and  we  horseshoers  need  something  to  re- 
mind us.  Allow  me  to  say  it  is  the  blood  of  pollution 
that  has  already  robbed  us  of  the  choicest  jewel  through 
jealousy  that  we  are  surrounded  with.  Don't  let  us  yield 
to  jealousy  any  more  and  be  ruled  by  the  effect  of  it.  Let 
us  strive  to  live  in  peace.  And  at  no  time  should  we  neglect 
or  abuse  a  horse.  He  should  at  least  be  treated  like  a  good 
officer  treats  his  soldiers.  To  curse  a  horse  is  just  as  bad 
as  to  curse  a  man.  Perhaps  it  is  worse.  A  man  may  strike 
back,  where  the  horse  is  practically  within  himself  and  help- 
less. Courage  of  a  horse  comes  from  the  courage  of  his 
master ;  alone,  he  is  timid,  and  nervous.  We,  as  human  be- 
ings, should  see  to  it  that  he  is  not  needlessly  alarmed  and 
mistreated. 

So,  whenever  we  see  htat  we  can  encourage  or  relieve  a 
horse  from  distress,  it  is  our  duty  to  do  so.  An  unexpected 
act  of  kindness  when  we  are  slightly  blue  gives  new  courage 
to  men,  and  horses  also.  Such  is  often  enough  to  redeem  a 
man  from  loneliness  and  heart  exile.  It  is  to  be  regretted  to 
know  of  some  horses'  reward  at  old  age,  men  should  realize 
that  the  horse  has  a  heart  and  it  is  in  loving  sympathy  with 
our  own.  If  he  is  outliving  his  usefulness,  don't  let  the 
springs  of  affection  grow  dry,  remember  for  twenty  years 
he  has  been  your  servant  without  a  complaint  or  cry.  Don't 
you  think  it's  hard  for  his  only  reward  to  turn  him  out  to 
die?  But  just  as  you  are  dealing  with  old  age,  may  destiny 
deal  with  you. 


58 


The  Don'ts 

Don't  you  know,  truth  crushed  to  earth  will  rise  again. 

Don't  you  know,  we  all  ought  to  have  the  companion- 
ship of  good  thoughts. 

Don't  neglect  your  horse  just  because  he  is  not  earning 
his  feed. 

Don't  get  your  horses  shod  if  they  don't  need  it. 

Don't  let  an  ugly  man  shoe  your  horses,  because  he  is 
like  poison  to  them. 

Don't  drive  a  lame  horse,  because  that  is  cruel. 

Don't  have  your  horses  shod  with  a  common  three-calk 
shoe  on  the  front  feet. 

Don't  beautify  a  horse's  feet  with  the  view  of  thinking 
it  looks  nice. 

Don't  you  know  there  is  always  somebody  that  knows 
more  about  some  things  than  you  do? 

Don't  shoe  horses  when  your  mind  is  on  a  prize  fight. 

Don't  let  a  cheap  horseshoer  poison  your  mind  and  de- 
stroy the  comfort  of  your  horse. 

Don't  think  that  you  are  paying  too  much  for  horse- 
shoeing when  you  have  confidence  in  the  man  who  shoes 
them. 

Don't  think  that  every  man  is  a  good  horseshoer  just 
because  he  is  shoeing  horses. 

Don't  you  think  there  must  be  something  wrong  with 
some  horseshoers,  when  material  advances  and  they  reduce 
the  price  of  shoeing? 

Don't  you  know  all  horses  that  are  kept  at  work  or  in 
corrals,  should  eat  some  International  Stock  Food  made  in 
Minneapolis,  Minnesota? 

Don't  think  this  is  advertising,  it  is  my  advice  to  you, 
because  it  is  the  best  stock  food,  to  keep  animals  in  good 
condition,  that  I  know  of. 

Don't  you  know  that  the  Studebaker  motor  cars  are 

59 


getting  a  reputation  equal  to  that  of  their  wagons? 

Don't  you  know  Germany  was  not  the  cause  of  the 
European  War? 

Don't  you  know,  as  for  Southern  California,  Orange 
county  is  the  place  to  live  for  profit,  pleasure,  peace  and 
rest?  Can  you  beat  it? 

Don't  think  that  horseshoeing  is  like  selling  silk  at  cali- 
co prices,  and  figure  on  getting  a  bargain. 

Don't  forget  that  the  Capewell  Horseshoe  nail  is  the 
only  reliable  nail  that  I  know  of.  It  holds  the  shoe  without 
burning  the  foot  to  it. 

Don't  you  know,  horse-back  riding  adds  to  your  health 
and  keeps  you  good-natured? 

Don't  burn  horses'  feet  with  a  hot  shoe,  and  fit  the  foot 
to  it. 

Don't  forget  that  a  shoe  on  a  horse's  foot  is  an  instru- 
ment of  good  or  ill. 

Don't  think  that  scientific  horseshoeing  is  expensive, 
when  you  know  that  his  shoes  fit  him,  like  a  well-fitted  boot 
on  your  own  feet. 

Don't  think  that  I  don't  appreciate  and  need  your 
patronage. 

Don't  you  know  that  all  that  a  horseshoer  needs  to  know 
about  a  horse's  foot  is  as  much  as  all  the  horse  doctors  in  the 
United  States  put  together  know  ? 

Don't  be  careless  in  listening  to  bargains  in  horseshoe- 
ing. 

Don't  you  know  there  is  hardly  anybody  learning  horse- 
shoeing now-a-days,  and  I  know  the  reason  why. 

Don't  you  know  why  there  is  so  much  demand  for 
Union  Oils  ?  It's  the  quality. 

Don't  forget  that  horseshoeing  is  a  science  as  well  as 
an  art. 

Don't  lose  your  temper  when  handling  nervous  horses. 

Don't  forget  that  horses'  feet  need  attention  once  a 
month  as  well  as  his  feed  every  day. 

60 


Don't  think  that  scientific  horseshoeing  can't  do  any- 
thing for  your  lame  horses. 

Don't  be  surprised  that  many  blacksmiths  would  have 
to  quit  horseshoeing  if  a  Board  of  Examiners  would  test 
them  as  to  their  knowledge  on  anatomy  of  a  horse's  foot. 

Don't  you  know  there  is  speed  in  a  horseshoe,  like  there 
is  happiness  in  love-  ,if  we  know  how  to  make  it  ? 

Don't  think  that  scientific  horseshoeing  can't  correct  ir- 
regularities in  the  action  of  a  horse. 

Don't  think  that  the  horse  hasn't  got  a  language,  be- 
cause you  can't  read  it. 

Don't  think  that  you  are  paying  more  for  horseshoe- 
ing at  my  place  than  your  neighbor. 

Don'  forget  that  it  is  easier  to  prevent  a  horse  from 
going  lame  than  to  cure  him. 

Don't  forget  a  well-trained  eye  for  a  horseshoer  on 
horses'  feet  is  indispensable. 

Don't  forget  your  horse  and  your  shoer's  place  of  busi- 
ness. 


61 


THE     HORNY     BOX     AND     THE     UNCOVERED 
STRUCTURE 


62 


The  foot  proper  is  an  envelope  in  a  mass  of  fibrous  tis- 
sues known  as  laminas,  united  to  either  structure  and  their 
relation  to  each  other  is  such  that  in  the  most  minute  manner 
they  fit  as  closely  together  as  does  the  closely  united  leaves 
of  a  book  and  yet  delicate  appearing  as  they  are,  their  office 
is  such  that  the  animal  depends  on  the  laminaes  for  carrying 
weight. 

I  have  said  that  the  new  artificial  roads  are  a  blessing  to 
the  horse  because  level  and  firm  footing  is  to  his  benefit,  if 
we  understand  how  to  shoe  to  suit  the  new  conditions. 
And  now,  more  than  ever,  a  shoe  becomes  an  instrument  of 
either  good  or  ill. 

From  the  above  cut,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  foot  of  the 
horse  is  well  provided  with  elastic  tissues  to  break  concus- 
sion and  that  we  need  not  depend  on  the  frog  altogether 
to  take  off  the  jar,  aside  from  the  yielding  of  the  elasic  tis- 
sues in  the  foot.  While  a  horse  strikes  the  pavements  each 
joint  from  the  foot  to  the  shoulder  is  provided  with  elastic 
buffers.  Nature  has  made  great  plans  for  the  horse's  en- 
durance, if  man  don't  rob  her  of  its  good  intention. 

I  produce  this  to  show  that  the  horse's  weight  is  not 
carried  by  the  bottom  of  the  sole  of  the  foot,  but  his  weight 
is  supported  by  the  sensitive  and  insensitive  laminaes  and 
by  them  the  animal  depends  on  suspension.  Those  lami- 
naes fit  close  together  and  are  dove-tailed  into  each 
other.  They  are  connected  with  tissue  to  the  footbone  and 
fit  in  to  another  mass  of  sockets  of  the  horny  hoof.  One 
can  imagine  how  painful  it  is  to  a  horse  when  a  foot  be- 
comes contracted,  the  laminaes  become  inflamed,  there  is.-ti>: 
room  for  expansion  as  they  are  between  the  footbone  and 
the  horny  hoof.  They  surround  the  entire  foot  and  interior 
hoof.  At  each  rise  and  fall  of  the  foot,  those  laminaes 
ascend  and  descend  and  the  sole,  it  is  said,  slightly  yields. 
If  the  laminaes  become  inflamed  there  is  a  stiffness  in  the 
horse's  way  of  traveling,  similar  to  that  of  a  founder,  as  a 
founder  is  nothing  else  but  an  inflammation  of  the  tissues 

63 


or  laminaes.  To  relieve  the  inflammation  of  the  feet,  soak 
them  in  warm  water  or  a  poultice  may  be  applied  for  a  few 
days.  Feed  him  bran  mashes  and  hay  only.  Feed  him  that 
way  for  about  ten  days  and  exercise  the  animal  a  little  every 
day.  When  shoeing,  use  Shoe  No.  i,  this  shoe  allows  of  an 
.easy  motion  and  gives  good  support  for  the  sole  of  the  foot. 
In  most  all  cases  of  founder  or  lamanitis,  the  sole  is  weak 
and  easily  yields  to  pressure  and  should  be  protected  by  a 
wide  web  shoe  and  after  the  day's  work  the  feet  should  be 
supplied  with  wet  swabs  around  the  coronary  of  the  whole 
foot. 


Showing  Shoe  No.  1 
for  foundered  foot  with 
a  rolled  toe,  graduall3r 
tapering  from  toe  to 
heel,  to  suit  the  bear- 
ing of  the  coffin  joint. 


No.   1 

Navicular  disease  or  coffin  joint  lameness  is  a  sort  of 
a  hidden  disease.  It  may  be  indicated  by  the  way  the  horse 
travels  and  wears  his  shoes.  His  steps  are  short  and  stilty. 
The  shoes  wear  at  the  extreme  point  of  the  toe.  He  is  in- 
clined to  show  great  tendency  to  stumble.  When  at  rest 
he  points  his  feet  in  a  forward  direction.  When  in  motion 
he  will  start  off  quite  lame  and  get  some  better  as  he  warms 
up.  After  a  drive  when  put  away  his  feet  should  be  sup- 


64 


plied  with  wet  swabs.  When  the  disease  is  beyond  me- 
chanical treatment,  there  is  then  no  cure  for  it.  The  cheap- 
est way  out  and  the  quickest  way  to  give  the  horse  relief  is 
to  kill  him. 


Shoe  No.  2  is  the  best 
device  that  I  know  of 
for  navicular  disease. 
It  has  the  bar  curved 
in  the  center  on  the 
ground  bearing  sur- 
face, which  makes  it 
easy  for  the  horse  when 
turning  and  flexing. 


No.  2 

A  bar  shoe  is  a  good  shoe  to  use  for  contracted  feet, 
because  you  can  do  anything  to  the  back  part  of  the  feet 
where  the  bar  is  resting  on  the  frog.  The  frog  being  in 
proper  condition  the  bar  can  take  care  of  weak  or  diseased 
heels.  If  a  foot  is  contracted  the  best  way  to  restore  it  to 
normal  conditions,  weaken  the  contracted  parts  with  a  rasp 
from  the  coronary  band  to  the  ground  bearing  surface. 
Rasp  it  thin  enough  so  it  yields  to  pressure  of  your  thumb. 
Keep  the  feet  moist  and  work  the  horse  whenever  you  need 
him.  See  to  it  that  the  heels  are  free  from  carrying  weight 
during  development  of  new  heels.  The  object  of  weakening 
the  heels  on  the  outside  is  to  allow  expansion  to  the  lami- 


65 


naeted  structures,  this  will  start  the  circulation  and  that  im- 
prove the  articulation. 


No.  3 

Bar  Shoe.  This 
is  a  good  form  of 
bar  shoe  for  con- 
tracted feet.  If  the 
frog  cannot  take  the 
pressure,  then  let 
the  bar  be  even  with 
the  branges  of  the 
heels  on  the  ground- 
bearing  surface.  It 
helps  some. 


No.  4 

Pacing   Shoe   No. 
10  attached  to  foot. 


66 


This  represents  a  colt's 
front  shoe  when  being 
shod  the  first  time. 
Pour  nails  will  hold  it 
in  place  till  he  needs 
shoeing.  With  this 
kind  of  a  shoe  the  colt 
will  not  stub  his  toes 
and  neither  does  it  jar 
the  heels.  It  is  made 
from  half-round  stock 
with  a  scoop  toe.  Use 
them  on  the  lighter 
bred  colt  that  gets 
early  training. 


No.  5 


This  is  a  good  shoe 
for  a  speedy  trotter. 
There  is  nothing  to 
impede  the  motion,  in 
landing  or  flexing.  For 
speed  it  is  just  a  little 
better  than  a  plain 
shoe.  A  sharp  ridge 
is  forged  round  the  toe 
in  the  center  of  the 
web. 


No.  6 


67 


No.  7 


No.  8  is  a  hind  shoe 
for  either  trotter  or 
pacer  to  prevent  brush- 
ing the  ankles  or  coro- 
net. It  gives  the  horse 
a  firm  grip  for  propell- 
ing. 


A  bar  shoe  for  either 
a  trotter  or  pacer.  It 
is  made  out  of  half- 
inch  square  stock.  The 
toe  of  the  shoe  is  twist- 
ed to  prevent  slipping 
and  at  the  same  time 
it  is  like  a  rolling  mo- 
tion. All  together  it 
gives  a  horse  sure  foot- 
ing. 


No.  8 


No.  11 

A  good  front  shoe 
for  a  trotter  that  is 
kind  of  wild  in  his 
actions  and  slips  and 
slides  in  any  kind  of 
footing.  The  front 
knobs  are  welded 
with  a  set  and  have 
the  form  and  shape 
of  a  center  punch. 
It  is  a  good  shoe  for 
a  horse  that  is  com- 
pelled to  start  off 
quick  at  speed. 


A  front  trotting  shoe 
to  quicken  the  motion 
and  to  add  mobility. 
It  was  in  1898  when  I 
designed  this  shoe.  I 
got  the  idea  from 
seeing  Osland  L.,work. 
He  had  a  long  stride 
and  the  appearance  of 
laboring  in  front.  With 
this  style  of  shoe  *  he 
got  a  mark  of  2:16  that 
year.  He  was  owned 
by  G.  W.  Sherwood,  of 
St.  Paul.  He  was  sold 
and  went  to  Russia,  as 
I  remember,  and  was 
used  as  a  ringer. 


69 


No.  15 


No.  12 

A  good  hind  shoe 
to  add  mobility.  I 
believe  it  is  a  great 
shoe  for  speed  and 
endurance. 


17 


In  case  a  trotter  or  pacer  has  t6o  much  stride  behind. 
We  all  know  there  are  lots  of  good  quarter  horses,  but  many 
o  fthem  get  tired  in  going  the  mile.  A  hitch  in  their  gait  is 
generally  noted.  The  real  race  horse  makes  all  possible  efforts 
to  keep  up  his  speed,  but  he  weakens  and  cannot  keep  that 
clip,  because  of  his  foot  being  at  too  great  a  forward  angle. 
You  see,  all  the  driving  power  comes  from  the  hind  limbs, 
and,  where  a  horse's  stride  is  too  long,  so  that  it  interferes 
with  his  natural  strength,  he  should  be  so  equipped  on  the 
bottom  of  his  feet,  to  allow  him  his  stride,  and  at  the  same 
time,  use  his  strength  to  the  best  advantage  for  speed.  Any 
hoof,  shoe,  or  stride,  beyond  the  limit,  is  a  loss  of  power, 
as  it  causes  extra  leverage  for  the  flexing  of  the  feet,  to  the 
propelling  limbs.  This  shoe  reduces  leverage,  and  therefore 
makes  movements  easier,  and,  consequently  hitching  or  hop- 
ping may  be  prevented.  Calks  placed  in  such  positions  are 
also  better  for  the  foot.  Hind  shoes  for  the  speedy  horse 


70 


should  always  be  made  to  prevent  slipping.  For  when  the 
foot  is  extended,  and,  accidentally  slips  one  way  or  the  other, 
without  the  animal  being  prepared  for  it,  there  is  danger  of 
a  rupture  of  the  membranes  at  the  coffin  joint.  The  conse- 
quences are  an  effusion  of  blood  between  the  two  tendons, 
whereby  the  motion  is  effected.  Failure  and  disappoint- 
ment are  the  inevitable  consequences,  because  it  is  hard  to 
locate  such  lameness  as  there  is  no  swelling  to  be  seen  any- 
where. Often  it  is  mistaken  for  paster  joint  lameness,  be- 
cause the  horse  will  stand  cock-ankled  for  the  relief  of  the 
rupture  around  the  pedal  joint.  We  can  convince  ourselves 
that  there  is  nothing  wrong  with  the  paster  joint,  by  lifting 
up  the  other  foot  so  that  he  must  carry  weight  on  the  affect- 
ed foot  that  will  bring  the  paster  joint  back  in  place,  and  if 
all  looks  well,  then  keep  the  foot  cool  and  give  the  horse 
rest.  Of  course,  we  are  not  interested  how  to  cure  such 
lameness,  because  only  nature  can  heal  it,  like  in  many  other 
cases  of  lameness  where  there  is  no  swelling  to  be  seen. 
We  want  to  prevent  them,  and,  a  shoe  made  as  shown  in  cut 
12,  on  horses  as  described  herein,  will  add  to  his  speed,  pre- 
vent slipping,  and  consequently  spraining.  I  have  used 
them  with  good  results,  and  they  are  just  as  good  as  they 
look  in  print,  only  it  takes  a  little  extra  time  to  make  them. 
A  bar  across  the  heels  adds  to  the  strength  and  durability  of 
the  shoe. 


71 


No.  9 

To  prevent  knee  knock- 
ing, accidentally  or  other- 
wise. 


I  tumbled  to  the  idea  of  making  this  shoe  partly  from 
the  way  it  was  worn  and  partly  from  what  the  driver,  Mr. 
Cooper,  told  me.  Around  the  outside  toe  the  shoe  is 
worked  down  to  a  knife  edge.  The  object  of  this  is  to  give 
the  pacing  horse  a  firm  foothold,  at  the  same  time  it  does 
not  interfere  with  the  horse's  flexing,  because  the  sharp  part 
cuts  in.  You  see  the  horse  that  strikes  his  ankles  or  his 
knees  most  generally  breaks  at  the  outside  toe  and  at  no  time 
should  we  try  to  do  things  that  interferes  with  the  freedom 
of  his  movements  as  that  is  against  speed. 

In  Iowa  and  neighboring  states  it  became  known  as  the 
"Major  Dent"  Shoe,  as  it  was  that  horse  that  got  the  first 
shoe  of  this  kind  that  I  had  ever  made  or  seen  and  the  horse 
raced  successfully  for  two  or  three  years  after.  It  is  simple 
in  its  construction,  only  it  requires  a  little  extra  time  to 
make  it,  like  all  special  shoes  do  to  do  the  work,  they  must 
be  just  so.  You  remember  I  have  said  that  a  shoe  on  a 
horse's  foot  is  an  instrument  of  either  good  or  ill  and  for 
speed  it  depends  more  on  the  shape  of  a  shoe  than  the 
weight  of  it.  Now  I  do  not  know  whether  you  care  to 
know  anything  more  about  this  shoe  or  not,  but  I  am  sure 

72 


that  it  is  worth  your  time  to  know,  so  I  am  going  to  tell  of 
it. 

This  horse,  Major  Dent,  came  down  the  line  from 
Mitchell,  South  Dakota.  He  had  started  in  four  or  five 
places  which  had  been  discouraging,  as  Mr.  Cooper,  the 
driver,  said:  "This  horse  hasn't  been  in  the  money  since 
we  left  home;  only  in  Canton  we  got  third  money."  I  hap- 
pened to  be  at  the  Canton  races  myself  and  saw  it  all  and  I 
asked  Mr.  Cooper,  How  many  horses  were  in  that  race? 
Well,  said  he,  there  were  only  three  in  it,  but,  said  Mr.  Coop- 
er, I  have  confidence  in  him  if  we  can  keep  him  from  hit- 
ting his  knees  he  can  make  up  for  what  he  lost.  I  shod  him 
Wednesday,  and  his  race  was  to  come  off  on  Friday,  but  he 
worked  the  horse  some  the  same  day  I  shod  him  while  he 
didn't  say  much  he  said  he  was  pleased  with  the  change. 
This  was  at  Sheldon,  Iowa,  where  he  was  entered  on  the 
25  pace,  but  rain  prevented  his  starting.  Mr.  Cooper  had 
entered  his  string  at  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  and  shipped  from 
Sheldon  there  and  before  the  races  at  that  place  Mr.  Cooper 
sent  word  to  me  to  be  sure  and  come  to  see  Major  Dent 
race,  and  to  bring  an  extra  pair  of  front  shoes  of  the  same 
pattern.  I  knew  then  I  had  made  something  new  that  was 
useful,  so  I,  with  others,  went  to  the  fair.  It  was  again  Mr. 
Cooper's  bad  luck  or  otherwise  Major  Dent  had  to  start  on 
Friday.  He  drew  fifth  place  and  was  on  the  outside  in  the 
first  tier,  as  there  were  nine  starters.  After  a  couple  times 
scoring,  they  got  the  word  they  were  the  fastest  bunch  for 
that  class  that  had  ever  faced  a  Sioux  City  starter.  They 
hung  together  pretty  well  to  the  half  and  before  they  got 
to  the  first  turn  Mr.  Cooper  was  trailing  the  pole  horse 
apparently  going  easy.  All  were  trying  hard  for  a  place  be- 
cause there  was  a  $1000.00  purse  and  at  the  three-quarter 
pole,  Major  Dent  was  still  trailing  the  pole  horse,  while 
others  had  fallen  back.  After  the  last  turn,  Mr.  Cooper 
drove  away  from  the  fence  and  soon  it  was  neck  and  neck 
with  those  two  horses  coming  down  the  home  stretch  till 

73 


under  the  wire,  where  the  judges  gave  Major  Dent  second 
place.  Time  2  \i2l/2.  In  the  second  heat,  and  at  the  Y^  pole 
the  winner  of  the  first  heat  fell  and  died  in  his  tracks.  Ma- 
jor Dent  had  then  the  lead  and  others  were  coming  fast. 
Again  Major  Dent  was  given  second  place,  time  2:18%. 
For  that  heat  Mr.  Cooper  was  fined  $25.00  for  not  driving 
his  horse  to  win.  After  that  Mr.  Cooper  stayed  further 
back  just  enough  to  beat  the  flag  and  got  second  money 
out  of  that  $1000.00  purse  and  no  mark.  The  next  morning 
I  went  and  visited  Mr.  Cooper's  camp. 

He  greeted  me  with  a  smile  and  said :  This  race  horse 
business  is  something  like  a  lawsuit,  when  you  win  you  lose. 
Well,  I  said,  I  think  you  had  a  pretty  lucky  day  yesterday. 
Well,  said  Mr.  Cooper,  I  never  paid  a  fine  of  $25.00  because 
I  didn't  win.  Well,  I  said,  I  am  not  going  to  talk  to  please 
you.  I  believe,  myself,  that  you  could  have  won  that  second 
heat  easy.  But,  look  here,  said  Mr.  Cooper,  after  this  I  got 
to  race  on  half  mile  tracks,  and  in  this  way  I  can  start  in 
the  green  class  and  feel  pretty  sure  I  can  be  in  the  money. 
But,  said  I,  you  know  the  25  pace  went  just  as  fast  as  the 
15  pace.  Yes,  said  Mr.  Cooper,  but  as  long  as  he  has  no 
record,  I  can  always  enter  him  in  two  classes  and  then  take 
my  choice.  Then,  I  said,  well,  then  you  really  don't  blame 
the  judges  for  what  they  did?  No,  said  Mr.  Cooper,  but 
when  a  man  puts  up  a  good  horse  race  he  hadn't  ought 
to  be  fined.  No,  I  said,  but  the  judges  didn't  think  you  did, 
and  I,  like  the  judges,  believe  you  could  have  won  the  race. 

Well,  said  Mr.  Cooper,  let  us  change  the  subject,  sup- 
posing I  get  on  a  track  where  the  footing  is  rather  loose, 
how  will  those  shoes  work?  Then,  I  said,  that  is  just 
where  they .  shine.  You  see  the  sharp,  narrow  web  will 
sink  in  easier  while  the  wide  web  on  the  inside  will  carry 
the  foot  up  on  that  side.  In  that  way  the  knee  will  be 
tilted  outward.  This  aids  the  passing  foot  to  go  by  and 
furthermore  there  is  less  exertion  in  flexing  when  break- 
ing over  therefore  the  swing  inward  is  lessened.  You  see 

-74 


when  a  horse  interferes  we  must  consult  the  structures 
above  for  the  foot  itself  should  always  be  kept  level.  That 
is  the  only  safe  way  to  keep  a  foot  in  a  healthy  condition. 
Mr.  Cooper  was  satisfied  with  the  explanation  and 
Major  Dent  was  a  good  race  horse  for  at  least  two  years 
after  and  always  raced  in  that  style  of  shoe.  So,  you  see 
how  the  right  kind  of  a  shoe  can  add  to  a  horse's  speed. 
But  don't  overlook  this,  this  horse  had  never  raced  over 
a  mile  track  before  and  the  long  turns  helped  some  to  clear 
himself,  and,  in  addition,  the  Sioux  City  track  was  very 
fast  and  that  also  in  part  gave  Major  Dent  an  increase  of 
12  seconds'  speed  faster  than  he  had  ever  gone  before,  so 
let  us  place  the  credit  where  it  belongs,  part  shoes,  turn  and 
track,  and  the  way  a  horse  is  driven. 


No.  1O 

Pacing  hind  shoe. 


This  shoe  I  used  on  a  pacing  mare,  Lillian  C,  who, 
like  Major  Dent,  never  won  a  race  because  of  the  poor 
quality  of  her  hind  feet.  She  came  to  Sheldon,  Iowa,  where 


75 


I  used  to  live  and  was  bought  by  Mr.  J.  R.  Mitchell,  of 
that  place,  was  trained  and  raced  by  Mr.  Harry  Leggett.  At 
the  beginning  we  had  some  trouble  keeping  her  hind  shoes 
in  place  as  she  would  not  or  could  not  pace  without  calks,  but 
before  she  started  racing,  I  put  on  a  pair  of  shoes  as  shown 
in  Cut  10,  and  provided  Mr.  Leggett  with  an  extra  pair. 
With  those  two  pair  of  shoes  she  won  eight  races  out 
of  ten  starts.  And  I  believe,  if  her  toes  had  been  shortened, 
when  the  second  pair  were  put  on  she  might  not  have 
lost  them  because  the  time  was  not  any  faster,  but  the  long 
toes  tired  her  at  the  last  end  of  the  mile  and  Mr.  Leggett 
had  to  take  third  money  in  both  of  those  last  two  starts. 
When  Mr.  Leggett  came  home  with  his  string,  he  had  had  a 
very  successful  campaign.  I  asked  Mr.  Leggett,  why  did 
you  not  have  Lillian  C's  hind  feet  shortened?  Well,  said 
he,  when  you  get  away  from  home  and  got  to  depend  on  all 
kinds  of  blacksmiths,  and  when  your  horses  are  all  going 
good,  it  is  my  experience  to  not  let  them  make  much  change 
on  the  feet  and  especially  feet  like  Lillian  C's.  This  is 
one  time  that  I  was  well  pleased,  when  we  put  the  new  set 
of  hind  shoes  on,  all  the  old  nail  holes  fit  it.  It  made  the 
cap  fit  solid  against  the  toe  and  today  they  are  just  as  they 
were  put  on.  Now,  to  make  a  long  story  short,  shoeing 
and  shoes,  is,  after  all,  one  of  the  main  parts  of  a  horse's 
success  for  speed  and  endurance.  Notice,  for  instance,  this 
shoe,  the  last  nail  holes  are  punched  to  the  extreme  at  the 
heels  because  it  was  the  best  part  of  the  feet,  I  welded  the 
side  clips  to  the  shoe  the  same  as  the  heels  and  toe  calks. 
I  welded  them  because  I  got  a  stronger  and  longer  clip 
and  it  was  in  part  of  those  clips  that  added  to  the  success 
in  making  the  shoe  stay.  I  forged  a  toe  cap  from  the  stock 
of  the  shoe  about  three  and  one-half  inches  around  the 
toe.  Nailed  them  with  No.  5  Capewell  City  Head,  in  that 
way  the  two  sets  of  shoes  were  held  in  place  for  ten  weeks' 
racing.  Of  course,  it  takes  a  little  extra  time  to  make  those 
special  shoes  but  if  they  are  made  just  right,  put  on  right, 

76 


they  are  always  bound  to  work  right  in  their  place,  and 
time  should  not  be  considered. 


No.  13 

A    light    pacing     hind 
shoe. 


This  is  a  good  pattern  for  a  pacer,  easy  made.  It  will 
not  cut  the  quarters  when  cross-firing.  I  made  them  out  of 
two  pieces,  for  the  outside  a  piece  of  rib  steel,  use  half  round 
for  the  inside.  Stick  them  together  at  the  toe  and  turn  it. 
Punch  a  few  extra  nail  holes  well  back  towards  the  heels, 
this  adds  to  strengthen  the  shoe  and  keep  it  in  place. 
Romea,  it  was,  who  could  not  pace  without  hobbles,  and  her 
owner,  Mr.  Brown,  who  had  a  dislike  to  hobbles,  had  me  ex- 
periment with  her  and  with  this  kind  of  shoe  she  got  a 
mark  of  2:14,  and  hasn't  worn  any  hobbles  since.  Of 
course  the  change  of  front  shoes  had  something  to  do  with 
the  balancing  of  her  gait,  but  this  light  hind  shoe,  I  think, 
was  the  main  part.  She  was  one  of  those  that  barely  touch 
the  ground,  or  it  looked  like  that  when  at  speed,  and  this 
3^2  ounce  shoe  for  a  rather  large  foot  would  last  her  three 


77 


weeks.  Any  unnecessary  weight  made  her  rough  gaited, 
and  sh  would  cross-fire.  It  is  often  said,  when  someone 
wants  a  horse  to  pace,  put  on  a  set  of  pacing  shoes,  I  will 
have  to  ask  what  are  a  set  of  pacing  shoes  ? 


No.    14 


This  is  a  good  shoe  to  prevent  cross-firing,  for  a 
horse  that  is  toeing  out,  you  can  see  how  it  is  made  for  the 
right  foot.  Put  it  on  the  right  horse,  that  makes  it  right, 
all  right.  The  way  I  have  had  a  good  success  with  the  toe- 
ing out  cross-firing  horse,  make  the  distance  of  barring 
from  front  of  inside  heel  calk  to  inside  point  of  toe  calk 
same  as  the  distance  from  outside  point  of  outside  heel  to 
lower  point  of  toe  calk.  It  brings  the  bearing  in  a  more 
direct  line  with  the  body. 

78 


A  good  hind  shoe  for  a  line  trotter,  the  toe  having  a 
wide  bearing  surface.  This  shoe  will  not  collect  any  dirt 
and  always  gives  a  horse  sure  footing,  as  that  kind  of  a  toe 
is  always  like  a  grab,  always  clean. 


A  three  link  shoe  forged  out  of  a  solid  bar,  I  inch  and 
79 


^4  by  ^4  of  an  inch.  There  is  no  weld  in  it  and  no  other 
one  in  the  world  like  it.  It  is  nice  to  have  something  that 
nobody  else  has,  at  the  same  time  you  can  test  your  will 
power  and  your  patience.  If  you  have  all  other  necessary 
qualities. 


No.  17 

The  way  I  make  such  a  shoe,  I  take  a  couple  of  pieces 
out  of  the  scrap  pile,  a  piece  of  ^4  half  round  or  a  piece 
of  five-sixteenths  by  three- fourths  for  the  outside  of  the 
shoe,  and  a  piece  of  y2  inch  square  for  the  inside;  weld 
them  together  and  form  the  toe,  there  is  generally  heat 
enough  left,  so  I  can  stamp  the  two  toe  nail  holes.  I  then 
heat  the  inside  forge  the  square  part  to  a  bevel,  leave  the 
inside  of  that  ]/2  inch  stock  full  thickness  at  the  inner  web, 
and  punch  a  couple  of  more  holes  in  it.  The  outside  I 
leave  that  part  of  stock  as  it  it,  punch  the  holes  and  fit  the 
shoe  to  the  foot,  and  that  is  all  there  is  to  it. 


80 


Speaking  of  interfering  and  the  guarantee  to  stop  it, 
let  us  reason  together.  Supposing  you  were  a  furniture 
dealer,  and  supposing  you  were  to  adjust  a  chair  to  carry 
weight  on  all  four  legs  at  the  same  time.  You  would  fit 
the  chair  to  a  level  platform.  When  the  furniture  man  has 
done  that,  that  is  the  end  of  it.  When  that  chair  is  sold  and 
delivered,  and  the  floor  is  not  level,  the  chair  will  rock  and 
only  carry  weight  on  two  or  three  legs,  so  the  furniture  man 
can  only  guarantee  a  chair  to  carry  weight  on  all  four  legs 
at  the  same  time  on  a  level  floor.  Horseshoers  can  only  hope 
to  stop  horses  from  interfering  when  the  footing  becomes 
firm  and  level.  Aside  from  that,  a  horse  must  be  in  good 
condition,  he  must  not  be  driven  until  he  gets  tired  and  leg- 
weary.  If  these  conditions  are  not  favorable,  there  is  no 
shoe  of  any  description  that  will  prevent  interfering,  and 
the  horseshoer's  guarantee  is  without  foundation. 

Always  use  a  shoe  as  light  as  you  can,  but  satisfactory 
for  wear ;  and  always  try  and  find  the  cause  of  any  irregu- 
larities and  don't  get  the  habit  of  guaranteeing  or  money 
refunded.  If  we  are  doing  these  things,  let  as  stop  it. 


81 


A    FEW    WORDS    TO    STOP    INHUMAN    CRIMES 
AGAINST  HORSES 

It  seems  there  must  always  be  some  fighters  for  the 
horse's  right,  but  coaxing  and  pleading  amounts  to  noth- 
ing, something  got  to  drop,  force  is  needed.  I  have  said, 
if  there  is  a  Humane  Society,  I  think  they  are  neglecting 
their  duties.  All  the  humane  educations,  organizations, 
academic  tracts  and  scientific  facts  amounts  to  nothing. 
It  seems  an  iron  hand  must  come  to  rule.  Horses  are  not 
shod  right,  because  the  law  don't  care  who  shoes  them. 
They  are  not  fed  right ;  they  are  not  harnessed  right ;  they 
are  not  stabled  right;  they  are  neglected  and  abused,  and 
again  the  law  pays  no  attention.  And  here  is  how  a  horse 
may  be  fed,  and  when  he  should  have  water,  and  not  have  it. 
To  start  with,  the  horse  should  be  fed  according  to  the  sea- 
son of  the  year.  For  instance,  in  the  summer,  during  the 
hot  days,  horses  should  have  oats  for  their  grain,  and  steam- 
ed bran  mash  twice  a  week.  These  mashes  may  be  given 
to  them  Wednesday  and  Saturday.  The  bran  should  be 
flavored  with  a  little  salt.  To  prepare  the  bran-mash,  take 
three  or  four  quarts,  put  it  in  a  bucket,  sprinkle  salt  over  it ; 
then  take  boiling  water,  pour  it  over  the  dry  bran  until 
it  is  well  moistened ;  then  take  some  gunny-sacks  to  use  for 
a  cover.  This  should  be  done  at  noon,  and  then  it  will  be 
ready  to  feed  at  night.  And  have  some  good  hay  for  the 
horse  to  finish  with. 

In  the  winter,  rolled  barley  may  be  fed,  and  oat  hay 
will  make  a  fair  combination;  and  once  in  a  while  a  few 
ears  of  corn.  The  corn  to  a  certain  extent  prevents  Lampas, 
which  is  generally  caused  by  a  rapid  development  of  the 
teeth.  Lampas  is  not  a  disease ;  it  is  the  over  quantity  of 
blood  that  gathers  at  the  bars,  and  often  gives  trouble  to 
the  horse  when  feeding.  It  should  be  attended  to  by  a 
veterinary,  for  a  good  mouth  and  teeth  add  to  the  health  of 

82 


the  horse.  Horses'  teeth  should  be  looked  after  a  least  once 
a  year. 

Now,  as  to  watering  horses.  Always  water  them  be- 
fore you  feed,  and  if  you  give  them  all  the  water  they  want 
to  drink  right  after  feeding,  the  stomach  has  not  had  time 
to  digest  the  food  and  part  of  it  will  be  washed  away.  If 
a  horse  comes  from  a  drive,  is  hot  and  sweating,  he  should 
be  allowed  a  half  a  dozen  swallows.  Then  put  on  a  light 
woolen  blanket,  and  let  him  eat  hay.  In  a  half  hour,  he 
can  have  some  more  water,  and  is  then  ready  for  his  grain. 
Too  much  cold  water  after  a  hard  drive  can  be  the  cause 
of  founder,  and  it  may  cause  colic.  Never  stable  a  hot 
horse  where  there  is  a  draft,  and  then  blame  the  horseshoer, 
claiming  that  your  horse,  "is  all  stiffened  up  from  yester- 
day's shoeing." 

Although  it  is  true  at  times,  horses'  feet  are  often 
crowded,  being  made  too  small.  In  such  cases  the  horse 
walks  kind  of  careful,  and  in  fact,  don't  like  to  go.  It  is 
always  best  to  leave  the  feet  full  size,  and  fit  the  shoe  to 
it.  Even  if  a  horse  stumbles,  don't  crowd  the  foot,  that 
may  make  him  fall.  It  is  to  be  regretted,  but  we  have  to 
admit,  the  sun  of  ignorance  and  incompentency  in  the 
horseshoeing  trade  seems  to  be  setting.  Let  us  pray  that  it 
may  never  rise,  but  that  horseshoers  will  develop  a  hunger 
and  thirst  for  the  truth  as  it  is  read  through  scientific  re- 
search, and  then  great  good  will  have  been  accomplished. 

THE  END 


OVERDUE.  »I.OO    ON    THE    SEV/^°UKTH 

5=  ""i  DAY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


